


For the Dream

by Alshoruzen



Series: Lure [5]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-07-18 01:17:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16107752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alshoruzen/pseuds/Alshoruzen
Summary: Kaito and Shinichi have finally settled down as a couple, but now they have to plan how to incorporate each other into their civilian lives without attracting suspicion. It is a complicated task, but they're up to it. And it begins with a vacation. KaiShin





	1. Planning Time

"It has to be something that not only seems completely random but that will continue to appear impossible to have been contrived under the close scrutiny of obsessively suspicious bastards."

Shinichi blinked over the top of his mug. "…Do you mean Hakuba-san?"

"Who else?"

The two of them were seated together on the couch in the Kudo Manor living room. Before them, the news was on, though the sound had been muted. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and that meant Shinichi would have liked to be sleeping, but Kaito had come in through his window at nine—his bedroom window—and that had been the end of any prospects of continued sleep. Shinichi had been grumpy about this until Kaito presented him with a fresh cup of coffee. It was, he'd claimed, the specialty of a great café by his house, so he'd had them put the coffee in a thermos to keep it hot until he reached Beika. It seemed like a lot of trouble to go to—but it was good coffee, so Shinichi decided not to comment. They weren't here to talk about coffee anyway. They were trying to make a plan to allow Kaito—as Kuroba Kaito—to meet Kudo Shinichi in their civilian lives without attracting suspicion.

"It's kind of amazing that he still doesn't have any solid evidence that he can use to prove that you're Kaitou KID," he said thoughtfully, taking another sip of the coffee and savoring the rich, full flavor. "I mean, it's been, what, five years?"

"It offends me that you find that amazing," the thief said acidly. "I happen to be a master. He's not going to get any solid proof if he spends the next fifty years looking, forget five."

"Right. Silly me for forgetting who I was talking to." Shinichi smiled, but the smile dropped with a sigh. "And he probably will be looking, won't he? He's already started cross-examining me every time we cross paths. It's only a matter of time before he starts breathing down my neck."

"I could always just stuff him in a box and mail him to the Bermuda Triangle. It would be fast and easy and solve all our problems. What do you say?"

"Kaito…" Shinichi shook his head, though he couldn't help but smile. The mental image that that sentiment had conjured up was kind of funny.

"Fine, fine, I won't mail Hakuba to the Bermuda Triangle. I wouldn't want Aoko to waste time missing him anyway. So who else do we have to keep a special eye out for while we make these plans?"

"I guess there's Hattori, though I think he'll listen if I explain." After which the Detective of the West would probably laugh his head off and tease Shinichi to no end. Shinichi sighed. Sometimes he wondered about the kinds of friends he had. "And it'll probably be better to explain than to have him poking around trying to find answers on his own. He's pretty reasonable, though I can't say much for his ability to keep secrets."

"Okay, so figure out a story to tell Tantei-han that will both satisfy his nosiness and prevent him digging into things that are none of his business. Oh, and make sure it's a story that won't cause problems if he slips up. Got it. Anyone else? What about your police friends?"

"Most of them work homicide. I doubt they'd bother about me having a new friend unless you get yourself implicated as a murder suspect."

Kaito laughed. "Naturally, though some caution may still be advisable. After all, I'm sure they've seen that photograph by now."

"And whose fault would that be?" Shinichi grumbled, burying his nose in his mug once more. "Which reminds me, is there any way you could get Sonoko off my back?"

Kaito blinked. "The Suzuki girl?"

"I think she still wants to kill me for seducing her KID-sama away from her—er, that's what she said, not me."

"Well~," the thief smirked, leaning in to murmur low in Shinichi's ear. "She got at least half of it right."

A shudder ran up the detective's spine as the thief's warm breaths tickled his ear. He blushed but didn't move away. "It doesn't matter how right or wrong she is. I'd just like her to stop giving me the evil eye."

Kaito laughed, wrapping an arm around Shinichi to pull him closer. "Don't fret over it too much. I think Suzuki-san's just the kind of person that needs something to be obsessing over. She isn't really serious about it. I'd say that that big ol' smacking kiss she gave that karate nut boyfriend of hers goes a long way in proving where her affections really lie. She just wants to act out her own personal romantic drama. Perhaps it helps her keep herself entertained while Makoto-san is off competing."

Shinichi blinked, giving the idea some thought. "I…guess you might be right. But that doesn't get rid of the fact that she's set on wringing my neck. She can't star in her own romantic drama if one of her costars runs off with a minor character."

"You're not a minor character," the thief objected.

The detective smiled, cheeks turning pink. "I appreciate your sentiment, but believe me, I would rather be a minor character as far as Sonoko's personal drama goes."

Kaito blinked then laughed. "I see your point. So that's Tantei-san, Tantei-han, Division One, and Suzuki-san," he said, raising a hand to make a show of counting off. "Oh, and Aoko."

"Nakamori-keibu's daughter."

"Yeah. As I've mentioned before, we've been friends for ages, and so far she backs me all the way when it comes to certain accusations. But she is dating Hakuba, and I'm afraid he's started rubbing off on her in the suspicion department." Kaito heaved a dramatic sigh. "Oh the woes of bad influences."

"…I'm not sure you have the right to call anyone else a bad influence."

"You wound me! Are you calling me a bad influence?"

"I don't know how to answer that," Shinichi replied in all honesty. After all, it was because of Kaito that he was now withholding essential information from the police. And he should feel guilty about that, but he didn't because he also believed wholeheartedly that Kaito was a good person with good intentions who went out of his way to protect others and help bring the real villains to justice (he really did have quite the record of public service despite being a thief).

"Ah well, I suppose it is the fate of genius to be misunderstood."

"…"

"What about Ran-san? You said she wanted to meet me?"

"That's what she said."

"Can she keep a secret?"

"Uh, well…" Shinichi thought back over his three years living with the Mouris as Conan. While Ran wasn't as much of a security leak as Hattori tended to be, she also had some of that absentminded tendency to slip out too much information without meaning to. She was certainly terrible at hiding it when she was plotting to get her parents back together. On the other hand, she didn't spend all that much time around KID Task Force officers or Hakuba—the people around whom slips would have the greatest consequences.

"I think it would be okay if we can arrange it so that you meet her first—like an accident, and without involving me. If she gets to know you as you before finding out that you're KID, I think the chances of her accidentally letting anything slip would decrease."

"Because she'd think of my civilian identity first whenever I come up."

Shinichi nodded. "And as long as you don't do anything to make her think you're a real villain, I think she'll back us up if we need it."

Kaito coughed lightly. "When you say a real villain…?"

"Just don't kill anyone."

"Ah, I can do that, no problem."

"I was also thinking that I could invite Haibara over for dinner sometime when you're here too—if you don't mind, I mean," he added quickly. "She can definitely keep a secret, so we won't have to worry about that."

"Haibara… That's that little girl with the really serious face who lives with your professor friend, right?"

Shinichi nodded. "She, um, she's kind of…like me—or like I was, I mean. But don't tell her I told you that," he added quickly. "She's still really touchy about it."

Indigo eyes narrowed slightly, connecting the dots. "So that time on the train—"

"Yeah. She used to be a scientist with the organization that poisoned me. She kind of helped make it, but she left them. She's decided to start over now that she has the chance."

"Wait, wait, back up. She helped make the poison?" Kaito couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice.

"But she also made the antidote," Shinichi said a bit defensively. "She's a good person. I trust her."

Kaito didn't speak for a moment. When he finally broke his silence, it was with a sigh. "Well, if you're sure about her then I guess she's probably okay. I must admit though, I would never have guessed you'd be neighbors with someone who used to be part of an organization like that—knowingly anyway."

Not wanting to get into a debate about the issue, Shinichi decided to bring up a different problem he'd been thinking about. "Have you considered what you're going to do about KID when we do officially meet?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It's just that, well, you went out of your way to make such a huge declaration about your intentions towards me—us—as Kaitou KID," the detective pointed out. "So if you're not supposed to be KID, and I start, you know, seeing someone else… It will be weird if KID doesn't react."

"Ah damn, you have a point."

"So…you haven't thought about this?" Shinichi would admit to being surprised. Kaito was usually so thorough about his plans, and this seemed like quite the gigantic oversight.

The magician thief laughed, looking just a tiny bit sheepish. "What can I say? I was a bit…frustrated at the time. You weren't picking up on any of my hints, and I couldn't stand the idea of someone else with more access coming along and stealing you away before I could."

"That doesn't explain your recent demonstration."

"Hey, I know you didn't like the police's recent spate of funny ideas either. I was helping you out. You should thank me."

"…" In Shinichi's opinion, the whole fiasco was more likely Kaito throwing a fit out of possessive jealousy, but he supposed it could have some helpful repercussions as far as the KID Task Force's scheming went. It was still too early to tell.

"I suppose I'm going to have to stage some kind of confrontation," Kaito mused, indigo eyes narrowed in thought. "Or, hmm, maybe if I…" He fell silent, his lips quirked into a small smirk that sent chills down Shinichi's spine. The future was looking more eventful by the second.

He was actually kind of looking forward to it. Kaito must be rubbing off on him.

The rest of the day passed in blissful contemplations of the future. They took the occasional breaks from planning to eat, play a few games, and watch a magic show that had been airing on TV. They eventually migrated into the library. Outside, the moon had risen and stars blinked to life in the black velvet sky.

"I guess I should be heading back," Kaito said reluctantly. Rising from his seat, he stretched then stepped towards the library window. "I'll see about getting phase one in motion. I'll let you know how it goes."

Shinichi stood up too, but he didn't say goodbye. Instead, he coughed lightly, blushing. "Do you…want to stay the night?"

The magician looked around at him then grinned. He vanished from where he was in a puff of smoke to reappear behind Shinichi. Strong arms encircled the detective's waist as their owner purred into his ear. "I would love to."


	2. Step One

The little gold ball spun into the dish, and the man behind the counter rang the bell. "We have a winner!"

"Yes!" Ran cheered. Smiling happily, she accepted the envelope and complementary keychain from the man running the booth. This particular prize, a one-week stay at a vacation resort for four, was being offered at multiple such booths around the city, but each booth offered only one package. She'd had to go to three of them before finding one where someone else hadn't gotten the prize first. But her hard work had paid off. This trip was going to be the perfect opportunity to get her parents back together!

Tucking the envelope continuing the vacation vouchers into her bag, she hooked the keychain featuring the resort mascot onto the handle and set off down the street. Behind her, half of the substantial line of other hopefuls intending to test their luck heaved disappointed sighs and dispersed.

The package was for four people though. That meant she had an extra voucher. So who should she give it to?

A certain detective popped into her head almost instantly. Shinichi was always so busy, running around after criminals in addition to his studies. She'd noticed how he often had dark circles under his eyes and a cup of coffee in his hands (though admittedly he would probably have the coffee no matter what else was going on. He just loved the stuff that much). Of all the people she knew, he was definitely one of the most in need of a good vacation. He would probably also appreciate the temporary escape from the areas where the media hounds were still searching for him.

Nodding to herself, she changed the direction of her steps to head for Shinichi's house. On second thought, she changed direction again, choosing instead to head for the café the detective had been using as a hideaway.

The sight of a familiar cowlick in the corner of the café proved that she had made the right decision. Today, Shinichi had a textbook open before him instead of case files, but he looked just as engrossed in the material as he would have been if it had been a case.

Not wanting to startle him, Ran cleared her throat before sitting down. "Hey Shinichi. Do you have a moment?"

Blue eyes blinked across the table at her before recognition dawned. "Oh, Ran. Did you need something?"

"I just got these vouchers for a week's stay at a vacation resort," she explained, pulling out the envelope and dumping said passes on the table. "The offer is for four, so I have an extra. I was thinking you could have it."

"Oh, uh, thanks. But I have a lot of work—"

"That's exactly why I'm giving it to you. Every time I see you, you look tired. You could really use the break."

"…" The detective wasn't entirely sure whether to be grateful or protest. He didn't work that much, did he? He was just doing what had to be done after all. Okay, so sometimes that meant staying up late and all that, but it wasn't like he didn't find the occasional spare hour or day for personal things like reading and spending time with…

Feeling his face turning pink, he hurried to pick up the passes, holding them up to hide his face. He looked them over while he was at it and blinked. "But these passes are only for two rooms,"

"Yep. Mom, Dad, and I will take one, and you can have the other."

"Your parents aren't going to agree to that."

"They don't have a choice," Ran said airily, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Shinichi shivered, suddenly feeling sorry for the two in question. "That's why I'm giving you the pass for the second room now. If I only have the one pass then there won't be a second room for either of them to run off to." Ran's face set into an expression that was both triumphant and grimly determined. "This time I'm going to force them to spend time together! And I'll be there to make sure no one gets in the way this time."

Shinichi had his doubts about the soundness of the plan. For one, Ran's mother was a very successful lawyer who was more than capable of simply getting her own room at the resort if push came to shove. On the other hand, mentioning the many holes in her plan to Ran would probably be a suicidal move when she was so fired up about it. So he took the voucher she held out to him with a somewhat sheepish smile.

"I guess some time away does sound nice."

-0-

"Moshi moshi."

"Kaito?"

"Ah, Aoko. Such a pleasure to hear your beautiful voice again." Signaling for the tech crew members helping him adjust the theater lights to take a short break, he stepped to the side of the stage with his cell. "So to what do I owe this honor?"

"I was wondering if I could meet you for lunch. There's something I need to talk to you about."

The magician glanced at his watch. It was just two minutes to noon. "Ah, I would love to, but I'm afraid I still have a lot of loose ends to tie up for my show tomorrow. Can it wait?"

"That's what you said the last six times I asked to see you too." He could hear the scowl in her voice. "Are you avoiding me?"

"Oh come on Aoko, you said yourself that I'm a busy person. I would never avoid you."

"Then you can at least spare five minutes to come out here and talk to me face to face."

"You're here?"

"I'm right outside the main doors. And if you say you don't have time for one short little talk then I'll never speak to you again!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. Jeez, no need to get so belligerent about it."

The line went dead. Smiling to himself, Kaito pocketed his phone and headed for the performance hall doors. Aoko's fiery temper was one of her most endearing qualities in his opinion. And it hadn't dulled at all over the years. He really was sorry that he hadn't been as in touch with her as he should be lately, but it was all for a good cause. He'd make it up to her when this was all over.

Aoko was indeed waiting for him just outside the theater's main doors. Her somewhat stony expression softened slightly when she saw him emerge.

"So what'd you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

"Keiko won these vouchers for a trip to a vacation resort, but she gave them to me because her family already has a trip planned for that time. So I was wondering if you wanted one of the passes. Since we haven't been able to meet up much lately what with classes and your shows, I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to do some catching up." She turned expectant eyes on him. "So?"

"When was this trip exactly?"

"The first week of next month."

"Beginning of next month, eh?" Kaito thought for a moment. "I don't have any shows scheduled for that week. There's one right after, but I should be able to get all the preparations done beforehand"

Aoko's face lit up. "So you'll go?"

He answered her smile with a grin of his own. "Sure. Sounds fun."

"Promise? You won't suddenly back out even if someone comes asking you to do a magic show at their new theater that week or something?"

He laughed. "I promise."

"Great. Here, let me get you your voucher then." She rummaged through her purse as she spoke. Pulling out her phone, keys, and an assortment of other items, she finally found what she was looking for. She handed the envelope to him. "Don't lose it."

"I won't," he said. His gaze, however, had zeroed in on the ornament attached to the young woman's keys. It was a rather cartoony fish patterned and colored like a koi complete with whiskers and large, watery eyes. "What the hell is that?"

Aoko followed his gaze down. "Oh, this? It's a keychain. Isn't it obvious?"

"Well yeah, but why are you using it? If you couldn't find anything better, I can help."

"What're you talking about? It's really cute."

Kaito scoffed. "Only a crazy person could think such a disgusting, bug-eyed monstrosity is cute."

"Hey, you of all people have no right to call someone crazy!"

The magician shrugged. "Whatever. So why do you have that thing anyway?"

"It represents the resort that Keiko won tickets to. So they gave one out with every set of vouchers. Keiko really liked it, but she said it would feel strange to use it when she isn't going to go herself. So she gave it to me and asked me to get her something else with the mascot on it for her from the resort. That way it'll mean something."

"Wait… That ugly thing represents the vacation resort you just invited me to?!"

"Well yes. It's a resort with an ocean theme. I think it's a little strange since koi aren't ocean fish, but I heard the owners insisted because they liked koi or something."

"Ahoko! Are you insane? Who in their right minds would want to go to an ocean-themed vacation resort?!" The way he pronounced the word "ocean" was rather more like how Aoko might have expected someone to pronounce the word "cockroach".

She gave her friend an exasperated look. "Just about everyone but you, probably."

"Then go and leave me out of it!"

"But you just agreed you'd go like five seconds ago!"

"That was before I found out just what kind of resort it was going to be! I'll bet you didn't tell me first on purpose."

"Bakaito!" Aoko stamped her foot. "I just want to spend some time together for once! Can't you understand that? Or do you not think of me as a friend anymore?"

The magician's jaw dropped. "What? No, of course I do! How can you even ask me that?"

"What do you expect me to think? You're never around anymore. And when you finally promise that you'll go on this trip with me, you end up breaking your promise just because of a stupid little theme! It's not like I'm asking you to go fishing. It's a resort! It just so happens to have an ocean theme. There are lots of things besides fish in the ocean." Aoko paused, breathing heavily after her outburst. "So are you going with me or not?"

Kaito didn't answer immediately. Aoko crossed her arms and glared. The magician eventually let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. I'll go."

The fierce expression on the young woman's face gave way to a smile. "Good. I'm sure we're all going to have fun."

"Wait. We?"

"Of course. You didn't think you were the only one I was inviting, did you? All the packages they're giving out are for four. You, me, my dad, and Saguru make four."

Kaito scowled. "I should've known. This is going to be the worst vacation ever."

Aoko turned dangerous eyes on him. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing." He shook his head to himself when the girl's back was turned. She sure was getting sneaky. On the other hand, everything was going exactly how he'd planned.


	3. Arrivals

The sensation that swept through Shinichi as the Mouris' rental car finally turned into the resort's parking lot could only be described as relief. The reason for this lay entirely at the feet of his traveling party. How Ran had managed to get her parents to actually drive to the place together in the same car was beyond even his deductive skills. But you didn't have to be a detective to figure out that that had not been a smart move. Not at all.

He shuddered as he recalled the torturous trip. Things had started going downhill the moment they'd all taken their seats. It had started with little things—small comments let slip into the conversation and the like. But it had quickly snowballed. By the time they were an hour into the trip, the car was filled with nothing but a stony silence. Neither of the elder Mouris would look at the other, and Ran was silently fuming at her father for it. That left Shinichi stuck uncomfortably in the middle of all the bad feeling filling the air. He ended up tucking himself into the very corner of his place in the back seat and trying to be invisible.

He leapt out of the car as soon as the wheels stopped turning.

Ran seized his elbow almost immediately. "We'll go check in," she declared. Not giving her parents a chance to argue, she began bodily dragging Shinichi away. It wasn't until the elder Mouris were out of sight that her steps slowed to a more reasonable pace, and she released her grip on her friend.

Shinichi rubbed at his arm to get the circulation flowing again. "What was that for?"

"We get two rooms," the girl explained, face set into a determined expression. "If they got a hold of the keys, they'll insist Dad stay with you. So I'm going to give you the second key, and you're going to make it disappear. Don't tell them what room you'll be in either. That way Dad won't have any way to escape."

"Er… Right…" The idea was a logical one, Shinichi had to admit. But the scent of disaster was growing exponentially stronger by the second. Hopefully, no one was going to get hurt. He'd feel terribly guilty if it came to that since he was half the reason they were all here (the other half being Ran's relentless determination to force her parents back together).

The resort's front desk was located in a large lobby that had a winding mote of water sunk into the floor. Wooden bridges allowed people to walk freely over the water. When Shinichi looked down into the shallow mote, he could see several koi fish swimming lazily this way and that. Their orange, white, and black bodies drew graceful curves through their liquid home.

He followed Ran across the bridges to the front desk. There, he waited as she chatted with the receptionist—a young man who appeared abnormally interested in asking Ran about her plans. Shinichi studied him carefully for a few minutes before deciding that he probably wasn't the criminal sort. So that was okay then.

"Here you go," said Ran, handing him a key card. "It turns out one of the rooms was bigger than the other one. So my parents and I can stay in the larger room, and you can have the smaller one to yourself."

"Sounds good," he agreed. It was more than good, actually. Now he wouldn't be trapped in the middle of the Mouri Family Feud. "We should probably go see the rooms."

"Yeah. We'll meet back up here at seven and get dinner together."

Shinichi nodded mutely, hiding a grimace. He really hoped that Kogoro and Eri would be over their current spate of annoyance with one another by then because eating with the two acting the way they had at the end of the car ride would probably give him indigestion. He would have asked if he could be excused except that he would feel guilty leaving Ran alone to deal with the tension—even if she had brought it on herself. She had supported him through his ordeals. The least he could do was be her moral support in this battle.

Keys in hand, they parted ways at the lobby doors.

The resort's rooms were spread through multiple buildings, none of them more than four stories high. Shinichi found himself walking down the hall of the building next to the resort's swimming pool. Reading the numbers as he went, he spotted his room and turned—

Only to crash into an elderly woman coming from the other direction. They both stumbled back a step and turned. Two pairs of eyes blinked at each other.

"I'm sorry," Shinichi apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's okay. I wasn't either," the old woman replied, giving him a rather grandmotherly smile. "I was just looking for my room."

"So I was," the detective said. "Do you need help?"

"Ah, no. But it was very sweet of you to offer. Thank you." With that, the woman stepped forward and opened the door of one of the rooms.

The same room Shinichi had been about to open.

He stared as the door swung shut. Then, without a word, he turned and headed back to the front desk.

"Excuse me," he said, setting his key card on the counter. "I think there was a mistake. The room I was given was also given to someone else."

"What?" The receptionist looked at his key card and turned to the computer. He tapped around for a few moments then blinked. "Hey, you're right. That's weird. There must have been an error in the system." He turned a sheepish grin to Shinichi. "We're really sorry about that. Here, let me see what I can do."

"That's okay. Accidents happen."

Shinichi waited as the receptionist's frown grew deeper and deeper. Finally, the man turned back to him with an apologetic look.

"It looks like all the other standard rooms have been booked as well. I really don't know how it happened."

"Oh. Uh…" Shinichi trailed off. It wasn't okay. This meant he didn't have anywhere to stay. And it wasn't like he could just go home. It was way too far away, especially for someone with no car. And Ran would kill him if he provided her father with a way to escape the family vacation. "Is there anything that can be done? Are there any smaller rooms I could use instead?"

"The standard is our smallest room, but let me go talk to my manager. We might be able to work something out for you."

"Alright. Thank you."

Shinichi wandered over to lean against the railing running along the mote behind him. The place was certainly peaceful. It had to take a lot of work to maintain the mote and the fish though.

"You—you're Kudo Shinichi!"

Shinichi's head jerked up at the exclamation. The shock was accompanied by a spike of dread. He so did not want to deal with being bombarded by questions right now. He was a little confused when he spotted the receptionist standing just behind the man who'd said his name.

"It's an honor to meet you," the newcomer said enthusiastically. "Welcome to the resort! My family runs this place, and we're delighted to have you here."

"Uh, thanks…?"

"I heard about the error regarding your room. I'm terribly sorry about that. We've arranged for you to stay in one of the suites instead."

"That really isn't necessary—"

"Nonsense! It's the least we can do. Besides, it was the only vacancy we had left. The suite's a little farther away from the main areas of activity, but I assure you it's very comfortable."

"Oh, I guess if it isn't any trouble—"

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," the man assured, cutting him off again. "Incidentally, could I get your autograph for my kids?"

Well, Shinichi thought a few minutes later as he made his way across the grounds of the resort in search of his new rooms, he may have lost most of his desire for recognition over the past few years, but he had to admit that it did occasionally have its uses.

-0-

"Honestly Bakaito, you can at least pretend you're happy to be here!"

"What is there to be happy about?" the magician retorted. He was standing with his back to one of the lobby bridge rails, indigo gaze sweeping the surroundings while determinedly staying above the waterline. He had spent all of the previous day mentally bracing himself for this—this abomination of a resort. Whoever had built this place had to have been completely insane. Talk about terrible tastes.

"It's a vacation!" Aoko exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "I mean sure, there's an aquatic theme, but it's not like they have tanks in every room or anything."

"Yeah, sure. But you're also making me share a room with that blond idiot of a detective. This has got to be the worst vacation ever!"

"Well I feel sorry for poor Saguru, having to stay in the same room as you. But obviously I have to room with my dad. It would be inappropriate for me to room with either of you—Dad would never allow it, and these are all rooms with only two beds."

"I know, I know—wait, why the hell do you only feel sorry for Hakuba?"

The inspector's daughter snorted, planting her hands on her hips. "Isn't it obvious? Because we all know you're going to end up torturing him with all your stupid pranks."

"Well I have to get something fun out of all this."

"Argh! You see? You're impossible!"

"I take that as a compliment~."

Aoko huffed, but she decided to let it go just this once since Kaito was finally in a better mood. She'd actually started feeling bad about dragging him out here with them, but, well, this was still the first chance in a long time they'd been able to spend more than just a little bit of time together. She just hoped that Saguru wasn't too traumatized by the time they were all ready to head home. Well, she'd make it up to him later.

-0-

Hakuba Saguru stood outside the room he'd been assigned, eyeing the door like it was the maw of some terrible monster ready to rip anyone who got too close to pieces. It wasn't a real monster, obviously, but there was definitely something dreadful on the other side of that door. The blond was seriously tempted to just find some lounge area to sleep in for the night, but he had the feeling that the resort staff wouldn't allow something like that. He wouldn't either in their shoes. It would cause problems for the other visitors, not to mention it would just be kind of a shady thing to do. And whatever else, Hakuba didn't do shady. He refused to be forced to lower himself to such things, especially by a thief.

So he braced himself and opened the door. Slowly.

Nothing. Only darkness greeted him from beyond the doorway. Had Kuroba not gotten here yet? But he left dinner before any of the rest of them had. If he hadn't gone to the room then what could he be up to? The detective shuddered in horror at the idea. On the bright side, if Kuroba was causing mass mayhem elsewhere, he wouldn't be here. And that was the best news Hakuba had heard all evening.

This could also be a trick though. He could be walking straight into a trap. It would be just like Kuroba to booby-trap the room then hide in the shadows to laugh at whoever had the misfortune to fall into his traps. The man's sense of humor was, in Hakuba's opinion, about as twisty as they came. So he supposed they should all thank their lucky stars that the crazy bastard had no aspirations for world domination or some such. But he was just dawdling now wasn't he?

He gritted his teeth. He couldn't stand here all day—well, night. It just didn't make practical sense. He was just going to have to face it.

Whatever it was (because he had no doubts that there was an it to face).

The first thing he did before even moving was to check above the door. Seeing nothing nasty waiting in the wings up there, he stepped gingerly across the threshold. He stopped, tense and ready for anything, but once again, nothing happened.

Okay, so far so good. Now, where was the light switch? The sooner he got the lights on, the happier he'd be. He hated the idea of being stuck in the dark with Kuroba lurking out there.

It took a moment, but he located the light switch and flicked it. The small light over the room's entryway blinked on, casting a feeble glow into the darkness. The next switch turned on the lamps above the room's two beds. Blond brows furrowed. There was no sign of either Kuroba or his luggage. So he really hadn't come by the room yet?

Relieved and feeling much more relaxed, the blond detective shut the door and moved to put his things away. He still made sure to check the closet and the drawers for traps though. It wouldn't pay to let his guard down yet. But when they too came up clean, he decided it was okay to take a breather. He felt sorry for whoever the magician had decided to harass today, but hey, he wasn't going to complain.

Normally, he would have liked to pick the bed by the window, but considering who his roommate was going to be, he opted for the one by the door. It would make things easier if he had to run. With everything neatly put away, he headed into the bathroom to check that everything was in order and get ready for bed.

He had just finished brushing his teeth when he noticed that his reflection wasn't as clear as it had been a moment ago. It looked almost like the mirror had fogged over. No, wait, it wasn't the mirror. It was the air that was fogging up—and getting foggier by the second. His eyes widened. Smoke!

Spinning on his heels, he threw himself at the door, but it was already too late. The knob wouldn't turn, and no matter how hard he pulled, the door wouldn't budge an inch. He pounded on it in a last desperate effort.

"Kuroba! Let me out of here!"

He didn't really expect an answer. He wasn't disappointed. The last thing that crossed his mind as he blacked out was that this was going to be the vacation from hell. He loved Aoko, he really did, but he should have turned her down when she'd asked him on this trip.

-0-

Kaito whistled to himself as he left the room and locked the door behind him. He supposed that he hadn't actually had to knock the nosy blond out, but he liked to err on the side of caution. Now he knew for certain that Hakuba would have no idea that he had spent the night elsewhere—or, well, was going to spend the night elsewhere. He'd hit the blond with enough sleeping gas to make sure he didn't wake up until well after morning then left signs to suggest that Kaito himself had just left early.

Of course, Aoko would probably be annoyed tomorrow when she inevitably heard about this little prank, but he knew that she would forgive him once he gave her the photo he'd just taken of her boyfriend in frilly pink pajamas snuggling with a giant teddy bear.


	4. Alone Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Lemon ahead! You have been warned.

Shinichi was not particularly surprised when he answered the knocking at his door to find Kaito standing outside.

No, wait, he was surprised. It wasn't at the fact that Kaito was there though. He was extremely shocked that the magician thief had actually knocked. This was, what, the very first time since ever that Kaito had actually knocked instead of just barging in as he pleased.

"Is there something on my face?"

Blue eyes blinked in confusion. "Um, no?"

"So then are you going to just stand and stare at me, or are you going to let me in? Unless you're hiding something in there you don't want me to see?"

"I'm not you," the detective said, rolling his eyes and stepping aside. "So, um, have you had dinner yet?"

"With the Nakamoris, yes. How about you?"

Shinichi sighed. "I ate with Ran's family. It was like trying to eat in a warzone."

"That bad huh?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ah. Nice rooms, by the way."

Shinichi snorted. "Don't pretend you didn't arrange for it to turn out this way. How did you manage it anyway?"

"Oh just this and that. It was nothing really. I just wanted to make sure we'd be able to enjoy ourselves. And since we can't exactly be seen together at the restaurants and whatnot, a suite was much more practical."

Shinichi fought down a blush as he moved to the kitchenette. "You certainly do think of everything, don't you. Would you like some coffee?"

"Do they have hot chocolate?"

"Let me check." Shinichi flipped through the items piled in the basket next to the coffeemaker. He came up a moment later with a brown packet. "I guess they do. It'll take a few minutes for the water to boil though."

"No need to rush." Kaito flashed the detective a smile before moving to make a quick circuit of all the rooms to make sure nothing was amiss. He didn't really expect there to be anything untoward around, but it didn't hurt to be careful. There were several rather large seascapes on the walls, but he was happy to find no signs of scales or fins anywhere. That was good.

Once he was done checking all the nooks and crannies, he sat down on the couch in front of the TV. Shinichi joined him with two mugs in hand.

"Here."

"Thanks." Kaito smiled, accepting one mug and wrapping his free arm around Shinichi's waist.

They watched a movie, letting the comfort of each other's presence soothe away the stresses of the day. Even when he finished his coffee, Shinichi found himself reluctant to move from his place curled up against Kaito's side with his head resting on the magician's shoulder. So he just cradled his empty mug and relaxed. Suddenly the tension and irritation from earlier that day seemed like nothing but distant memories. All that mattered was that he was here now. With Kaito.

The thief was also taking the chance to clear his mind and let his nerves settle. He'd been tense all day because of those wretched scaly horrors. Though he had been ready for them, it didn't mean he enjoyed being in their presence. But it had been worth the effort, he thought, smiling down at the top of Shinichi's head. The road ahead was going to be a bumpy one, but he knew they would make it. He wouldn't accept anything else, and he was sure that Shinichi wouldn't either.

The movie ended, and suddenly there was a koi fish on the screen as the channel began to advertise the resort they were currently at. It was swimming straight towards the camera. Its fishy face filled the screen.

Kaito snatched the remote from its spot on the table by his own and Shinichi's empty mugs and turned the television off.

His sudden movement startled Shinichi out of the half doze he'd fallen into. The detective looked around quickly, half expecting some kind of attack (maybe of camera-wielding journalists or some random psychopath. With his life, it wasn't impossible). Seeing nothing, he turned to Kaito. "Is something wrong?"

Kaito laughed a little, reaching over to ruffle Shinichi's hair. "No, or at least not right now." He heaved a melodramatic sigh. "I am simply surrounded by those scaly, bug-eyed horrors. I hope you appreciate what I'm doing for you."

Blue eyes softened, though there was a gleam of humor in them too. Of all the myriad of frightening things a person could have a phobia for, it just figured that Kaito's would be something as ridiculous and unexpected as fish. Honestly, the man made a habit of jumping off skyscrapers! What was a fish compared to that? But it was sweet that he was willing to face his fears for them. That knowledge made Shinichi feel warm and more than a little bit giddy.

It was also making him feel a bit…

He blushed and ducked his head, curling closer to Kaito's side.

Kaito was still rambling. "And do you know what they tried to serve me at dinner? Hell, there was only one item on that whole menu that was edible! Absolutely atrocious! It took a whole five minutes to get it through their thick skulls that I didn't want any of their awful specials! And don't even get me started on the décor. They—"

"Okay Kai, I get it," Shinichi said before the magician could really dig into the subject of the restaurant decoration. Fond exasperation made him smile. "You don't like this place. And I'm very grateful for what you're doing. How can I make it up to you?"

Kaito immediately forgot all about fishy horrors. "I can think of a few good ways," he all but purred. The arm he had around Shinichi shifted lower. A thumb began to rub circles on the detective's hip.

Turning, Shinichi leaned up and pressed his lips to the thief's.

The kiss was slow and lingering. Neither of them was in a hurry. They were simply enjoying the intimacy.

Gently prying Shinichi's lips apart, Kaito deepened the kiss. Tongues twined in a languid dance.

"I forgot to mention, I also got a cake earlier," Shinichi murmured against the magician's lips (the hint of chocolate there having served as a reminder).

Kaito hummed, stealing another kiss. "Oh? What kind?"

Shinichi snorted. "Do you even have to ask? It's chocolate, obviously."

"Sounds tasty."

"Should I go get it?"

"Hmmm."

"You're really thinking about it," Shinichi observed, pouting despite himself.

Kaito chuckled. "What, jealous?"

"Of cake? Of course not. That would be stupid," the detective scoffed. "Well it's in the fridge if you want it." Shinichi made to stand, but Kaito pulled him back, arms tightening around the detective's slim waist.

"It can wait," Kaito said firmly, leaning in to recapture Shinichi's lips. "I'd rather have you."

"Well that's nice to know." Shinichi might have said more, but the tongue invading his mouth didn't give him much of a chance. Not that he minded. The kiss this time was much more heated. He moaned softly into it, wrapping his arms around Kaito's neck.

Now sitting straddling Kaito's lap, he could feel that Kaito was aroused, and his own body grew hot in response, excited tremors racing up and down his spine.

Calloused hands slid up under his shirt. His own hands slipped down, plucking at the buttons on the thief's dress shirt—blue like his KID shirt, the analytical part of his mind noted, though several shades darker. Both shirts flopped softly over one arm of the couch. Hands wandered over exposed skin. They both shifted closer, eager for more contact.

Breaking the kiss, Kaito trailed his lips along the line of Shinichi's jaw before moving to lick and suck on the sensitive skin of the detective's neck. Shinichi tilted his head to give him better access as his own hands slid over the flat planes of Kaito's chest. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips. Shifting lower, he tugged on the magician's zipper. He wrinkled his nose in annoyance when it seemed to be stuck.

Kaito chuckled against the side of his neck. "Let me." He scraped his teeth over Shinichi's collarbone.

The detective squeaked. Though he was distracted for only an instant, when he turned his attention back, he discovered that the rest of their clothes had gone missing. He spluttered.

"How did you do that?"

"Tsk, tsk. A magician never reveals his secrets~."

"Have you been tampering with my clothes?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

Shinichi eyed him suspiciously before deciding to let the issue drop (though he made a note to carefully examine each article in his wardrobe when he got home). Instead, he shifted, pulling away from his partner completely.

Kaito raised a curious eyebrow. "Shinichi?"

Shinichi didn't answer as he slid down so that he was kneeling on the floor and leaned over until he was at eye level with the magician's erect member. He blushed, thinking of how it was going to feel when that was inside him. But first…

Bracing himself, he hesitated for a brief instance before giving Kaito's member a tentative lick. Hearing the magician's breath hitch, he brushed his lips over the tip before taking the stiff length into his mouth.

Kaito's breath hissed between his teeth. Half-lidded indigo eyes watched with rapt attention. A tongue flicked out to lick his lips.

While he was enjoying the feel of that hot, wet mouth on him, he couldn't help but notice that his detective seemed a bit distracted. Was that a muffled gasp? Curious, he leaned over, running a hand through soft, black hair.

That was when he noticed that Shinichi was only using one hand to help himself stay balanced. His other hand was—oh. Indigo eyes widened a fraction. So that was where the tube of lube he'd dropped on the couch had gone. He'd thought they'd accidentally knocked it off, but it seemed his detective had appropriated it.

He couldn't tear his eyes away. There was something incredibly arousing about seeing Shinichi preparing himself for him.

Shinichi let out a soft surprised cry when a pair of hands on his shoulders suddenly pushed him back. Kaito's member slid out of his mouth. A hand caught his chin, tilting his head up. Then Kaito's mouth was on his again, hot and demanding.. His own hands came up to tangle in messy locks. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled back up onto the couch.

The thief made a low, almost guttural noise in his throat. "I want you. Now."

Shinichi blushed, letting out a slightly breathless laugh. "You're being rather impatient." Despite his words, he shifted so that he was on his knees, straddling Kaito's lap.

Kaito responded with a rather predatory grin. His calloused hands slid up Shinichi's thighs to his hips, helping to guide him into position. Shinichi found himself holding his breath as he felt Kaito at his entrance. His eyelids fluttered. He tried to relax as much as he could as he lowered himself onto his lover's waiting cock. The soft couch cushions hardly offered much support though. It didn't help either that his legs were quivering. He slipped. Gravity took over, and he let out a half gasp, half cry as he dropped, abruptly taking the rest of Kaito's stiff length inside himself. Muscles clenched at the sudden intrusion. It was hot and it was big and the sudden strain in his bottom was really bordering on painful—but it was good too.

Kaito swallowed a moan. Shinichi was a burning vice stretched tight around him. All he wanted to do at that moment was to pin his detective to the couch and pound into him for all he was worth, but he restrained himself. Shinichi was clinging to him, panting breaths puffing warm and damp against the crook of his neck. Kaito wondered if Shinichi realized how enticing that was. Like his cute little detective was just asking for more.

To distract them both as his partner adjusted, he slid his palms up and down Shinichi's sides, feeling the warm skin quiver at his touch. Long fingers danced over smooth, pale thighs then trailed up to pinch and tweak at pert nipples. Shinichi gasped and squirmed.

The slight friction from the movement made them both groan. It wasn't enough. Shinichi braced his hands on Kaito's shoulders for balance. He lifted himself up, feeling his lover's cock pull slowly out of him, rubbing against all the sensitive spots inside him. Then he was sliding back down again. Each pull and push sent electric tingles along their nerves. The rhythm started slow as they both fumbled to coordinate their movements.

Then Kaito lay back against the overstuffed couch cushions for better leverage. His fingers dug into Shinichi's hips as he thrust upward into the detective. Shinichi cried out as Kaito rammed squarely into that spot that sent a jolt of pleasure through his body and sent sparks across his vision. His knees turned to jelly, but Kaito had control of the rhythm now, and all Shinichi could do was ride it.

Catching the smug gleam in his thief's indigo eyes, Shinichi canted his hips in just the right way to allow Kaito in a little deeper. A small smirk flitted across his face as his messy-haired lover made a noise that was almost a growl, hands tightening possessively on his hips. But the expression fell away quickly as the rhythm of their heated dance intensified. In, out, in—

He hung on for as long as he could, but the end still came all too soon. With Kaito's name on his lips, he came hard. The cry melted into a moan as he felt Kaito come inside him. He collapsed against Kaito's chest, panting for breath.

Neither of them moved for several minutes, just basking in the afterglow and the warmth of being wrapped in each other's arms.

"I love you."

Shinichi blinked open eyes he hadn't consciously closed. A soft smile ghosted across his face, and he turned his head slightly so that he could place a soft, chaste kiss on Kaito's cheek. "I love you too."

A soft, comfortable silence fell over them. Shinichi snuggled closer to his thief, content. But reality was a rude thing, and it insisted on poking him out of his warm daze.

"We should decide what we're going to do," he said reluctantly. "Tomorrow."

Kaito sighed. "I don't want to think about that right now."

"But…" He trailed off as indigo eyes caught his. Their gaze was soft and dark with passion.

"All I want to think about right now, tonight, is you."

Shinichi blushed. "I…"

Warm lips covered his, stemming the words he didn't know how to shape. But, he thought, perhaps that was okay. This feeling growing in his chest… It was something he couldn't express in words even if he had a hundred years to try. It was a longing and a hope, a dream and a sorrow, warm and joyful and sweet yet terribly, overwhelmingly frightening too.

But he didn't want to think about that right now either—didn't want to think about tomorrow, the future, and all those other things that could never be certain. He didn't want to think about anything at all right now. All he wanted –all he needed—to think about right now was Kaito. Right here.

Right now.

This.

Them.

He moaned loudly, a hot flush rising in his cheeks. Kaito was hard again—and still inside him.

He let out a confused whimper in protest when Kaito shifted, pulling out of him. The whimper turned into a squeak and his hold on the magician tightened as Kaito stood up abruptly. The magician was quick to adjust his grip. With the detective secure in his grasp, he made a beeline for the bedroom.

Dropping Shinichi on the bed, Kaito crawled on top of him, pinning the detective's wrists to the mattress with one hand as he caught his lips in a hungry, searing kiss. He used his free hand to spread Shinichi's legs. Then he was thrusting back into that delicious, velvet heat. Shinichi's back arched and his legs wrapped eagerly around his thief's waist.

Kaito smirked against the side of Shinichi's neck. "I like it when you scream my name."

Shinichi tossed his head back, doing just that as his lover's hard length filled him again and again.

Their lovemaking continued well into the night.


	5. Almost but Not Quite

A little peace and quiet was a welcome change, Shinichi thought as he sipped from his to-go cup of coffee. He was seated at a small table by himself in one of the resort's airy lounges. The high ceiling and massive windows gave the place a comfortable and bright atmosphere, and the sound of bubbling water coming from the many fountains decorating the place added a soothing, natural touch to it. Taking another sip from his coffee, he turned the page in the book he was reading.

After Kaito had left to meet up with the Nakamoris, Shinichi had decided to take a walk around the resort. Eventually, he had found his way here and settled in for some quality reading with his favorite drink for company. It was perfect, and he intended to take full advantage of this tranquility while it lasted. After all, he had to meet up with the Mouris for lunch. And that, he didn't have to be a detective to know, was going to be the exact opposite of peaceful.

He heaved a sigh at the thought. He was looking forward to the day when he could spend vacations like these with Kaito without having to worry about his boyfriend getting arrested.

He turned another page in his book, determined not to think too hard about the impending disaster until he had to. The novel was a new one he'd been itching to get his hands on for a while. It was just getting to the thick of the mystery when there was a startled exclamation from beside his table.

"Kudo-san?"

He knew that voice. Schooling his face into a look of surprise, he lifted his gaze from his book to find Hakuba Saguru standing by his table. The blond also had a to-go cup in one hand and a book in the other. He was staring at Shinichi with open shock.

"Hakuba-san?" Shinichi half greeted, half questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," the blond detective replied.

"I'm here with Ran and her family," Shinichi explained. "Are you here for a case?"

"Ah, no, I too was invited here." And now the other detective's expression grew thoughtful. "Tell me, have you been approached by anyone unusual since you arrived?"

Shinichi blinked owlishly at him. "Uh, no? I've barely talked to anyone yet other than the Mouris. Though I did sign autographs for the resort owner…"

One blond eyebrow rose. "The owner?"

"It was for his kids," Shinichi clarified with a shrug. "He recognized me when we were checking in."

"I see. What about last night? Did you have any visitors?"

"Well that's a weird question. Who'd be visiting me at a resort of all places?"

Hakuba seemed to be considering something. Shinichi could see the moment he made his decision.

"Well, I am sure you remember that I have had a prime suspect for KID's civilian identity for quite some time."

"I remember," Shinichi agreed, swallowing the somewhat more sarcastic comments he wanted to make. The blond had not only told him about it, he had done so many, many times. He'd never quite understood Shinichi's complete lack of interest in uncovering the thief's identity outside of heists. Not that Shinichi blamed him for his lack of understanding. After all, law enforcement was meant to be a twenty four hour commitment. It was Shinichi's own problem that he hadn't been able to think of Kaitou KID as a real threat even before they'd started dating, not Hakuba's. The blond was just doing what he thought was right.

It didn't make him any less overbearing.

Unaware of Shinichi's thoughts, Hakuba continued, looking straight into Shinichi's blue eyes. "He's here."

Shinichi blinked. "Really? I guess it really is a small world."

"Indeed," the blond said dryly. "Shall I introduce you?"

Shinichi made a face. "I'm on vacation. If you're right and he's KID, an introduction is the last thing I need."

"I suppose you're right," the blond conceded. "However, considering KID's intentions towards you, he may seek you out whether you wish it or not."

Shinichi heaved an exasperated sigh. "Let me guess. You want me to notify you if anyone tries to get close to me."

"It is for your own protection, you realize," Hakuba replied. Then he paused, and the look he gave Shinichi became searching and just this side of suspicious. "Unless, of course, you would not mind if he were to seek you out."

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. "If you're going to accuse me of something, do have the decency to just say so."

"You misunderstand me."

Yeah, right, Shinichi thought.

"I do not wish to level any accusations as of the moment."

Oh, so he was considering it for the future then.

"I merely wonder why it is that you seem so at ease with this entire situation."

"I assume you're not just talking about being here at the resort?"

"Indeed. I would have thought that being the subject of such attentions from a criminal would warrant a little unease at the least from a well respected detective such as yourself. And yet you hardly seem bothered at all."

"Are you kidding? I've been ducking reporters left and right because of this whole debacle. Not to mention Nakamori-keibu's stunts—which you aren't exactly innocent of yourself, I might add."

Hakuba coughed lightly. "I do apologize for our…oversights on those occasions, but that is not the point. I find it odd that your ire is only directed at the inconveniences inspired by KID's—attentions and not the source."

"People can't choose how they feel," Shinichi pointed out after a moment's pause. "I mean, sure he might play pranks, but it's not like he's hurt me or anything. As I see it, as long as he's not causing any harm, there's no reason to get bent out of shape. I have enough stress in my life already without adding unnecessarily to it."

"And the reporters?"

Shinichi grimaced. "You have to ask? They wreak havoc on my schedule and ask ridiculously personal questions hoping to spread it around the media like it's everybody's business. You'd think they'd have more important things to report on—things that actually affect people, but no. They're a pain in the neck!"

Hakuba blinked then cracked a very small smile. "I suppose when you put it that way, there is a certain level of sense to it. Still, I would recommend you be cautious. Obsessions can easily grow to become dangerous things."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"See that you do."

Shinichi suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Of course the blond would have to get the last word. Still, he probably meant well.

"Did you want to sit?" he asked, nodding to the seat across from him before flipping to the next page of his book, indicating his intention to continue reading.

"Thank you, but I can't. I am meeting Aoko in the blue courtyard. I will see you later then. Have a good day."

"Good day to you too."

-0-

Lunchtime found Shinichi seated at a table with the three Mouris. He was relieved to find that the atmosphere had thawed somewhat from the previous night. Kogoro and Eri still weren't speaking directly to each other. Instead, they both focused their attention on their daughter, catching up on her recent experiences with university and discussing her plans for the future. As these topics were near and dear to both parents, conversation actually progressed. Though they couldn't seem to resist sending the occasional snide comment each other's way, especially when Ran revealed that she was considering following in her mother's footsteps and going into law. Eri's delight at the news was just as obvious as Kogoro's chagrin.

Shinichi was just happy to blend into the background and pretend he wasn't there. He was a little surprised to hear of Ran's plans, but then again, he supposed he'd never known what her interests were in regards to her future career. The realization made him feel a bit guilty. It seemed like pretty basic information for any friend to have, and here he'd never once thought about it until now. Maybe he really had lived most of his life too focused on mystery novels and solving crimes…

Anyhow, lunch, fortunately, went off without any obvious hitches. The problems started when Ran suggested going to the pool. Shinichi felt she really should have known better. You didn't have to be a detective to predict what happened next. But he supposed Ran had always been overly optimistic about her parents.

Kogoro was exclaiming over the pretty young women in their swimming suits like he tended to do at such times, completely oblivious to the icy aura radiating from his wife and daughter.

Shinichi buried his head deeper in his book and tried to pretend that he didn't know the man. While the older detective did have some good qualities hidden in there (very well hidden at that), the man could be really embarrassing. Shinichi was secretly searching for a way to slip away without being caught in the crossfire when the inevitable explosion happened. Due to his distraction, he didn't notice the party that had arrived on the other side of the sizeable pool—or, more specifically, at the open air café that was situated on the other side of the pool. A certain blond noticed him though.

As Aoko instructed her father to choose a healthier dish from the menu, Hakuba turned to Kaito. "Did you know that Kudo Shinichi is here at this resort as well?"

Kaito thought for a moment. "Oh, you mean that detective you accused me of kidnapping." He kept his expression apathetic. "He's here too? What, is there a case?"

"Would you like to ask him yourself? He's right over there."

Kaito looked in the indicated direction (because that was just what people did when other people made such comments). Indigo eyes widened. "Oh hey, that girl looks just like you, Aoko!"

Hakuba frowned. Not the reaction he'd been expecting. Of course he didn't think KID would give himself away so easily, but he'd expected at least a flicker of—of something when he'd seen the Detective of the East. Sure, Kudo was headed away from them and therefore had his back to them, but that cowlick was pretty distinctive.

"What?" Aoko turned as well. She stared. "Oh wow, it's like I have a twin!"

Nakamori elder grunted. "Oh great. That Mouri's here too?"

"You mean that's the Mouri Kogoro?" Aoko exclaimed, delighted. She'd heard her father mention the man on multiple occasions (well, grumble about the man anyway), but she'd never had the chance to actually meet him. So then was that girl his daughter? To think that the famous detective's daughter would look so much like her! How neat was that? "Hey, let's go say hello."

"But the food's going to get cold," Kaito complained, forking a mouthful of shrimp pasta (the only dish on this café's lunch menu with no fish in it) into his mouth. "You can say hi when we're done eating."

"But they might have left by then. You can stay here and eat if you want. I'll be right back." Aoko hopped off her seat then turned to look at her dad and her boyfriend. "Do you guys want to come?"

Hakuba stood as well. "It would be rude not to say hello."

"I'll pass," Nakamori Ginzo said, cutting a corner off his salmon steak.

Kaito was not at all surprised when, some half hour later, Aoko returned with a beaming smile on her face. He'd always had the feeling that she and the Mouri girl might get along. Everything was going exactly as he'd planned.

"We're all going to have dinner together," the inspector's daughter announced, excitement bright on her face. "There's a beautiful restaurant near the lake. It's called the Café Aquatica."

Kaito made a face. "Isn't that the café with the aquariums for walls?"

"Oh, well…yeah… But I checked, and they do offer non-fish dishes."

"If you think I'm going to go to an aquarium café just to meet some detectives, you're crazy," Kaito scoffed.

"But you might never get the chance to meet them again," the girl argued. "Come on, it'll be fun. Kudo-san's going to be there too. I'm sure they'll have lots of interesting stories to tell. You probably won't even notice the fish."

"…You got to be kidding. I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life."

"Well fine then! Don't go," Aoko huffed, losing her patience.

"I won't." Kaito agreed.

"Ugh, you're impossible!"

"Why thank you."

"Argh, that's not a compliment Bakaito!"

-0-

He couldn't join the group for dinner no matter how nice it would have been to dine with his Shin-chan. They couldn't rush things. Even a hint of over enthusiasm would instantly raise a certain blond detective's suspicions.

Even so, he hadn't been able to resist taking a peek. That peek was enough to make him very glad that he had not tagged along. When the brochure had said that the café had aquariums for walls, it had not been exaggerating. Just about every wall was filled with water and darting, glittering scaly shapes. There were extra walls just to make sure that every table had a good view of the décor. How anyone could actually enjoy their food surrounded by those disgusting creatures, he had no idea. It looked to him like a recipe for indigestion. But, well, better them than him.

Instead, he had a lovely dinner at one of the lounges. Well, the dinner part was pretty ordinary—a sandwich. But the cake he had ordered for dessert had been absolutely divine. He'd treated himself to a second helping and ordered another two servings to-go. He could share them with his lovely detective later.

After he'd left, the waitress who'd served him giggled as she told her friend how she had never seen anyone get so much pleasure out of eating a cake. And such a charming young man he had been too. She really hoped she would see him again. Next time, she would remember to ask him for his name.

-0-

"Shin-chan, rise and shine~!"

"G'way," Shinichi groaned and tried to burrow into his pillow, but Kaito wasn't having any of that. He dug the detective out from under the fluffy fortress of pillows and blankets he was sleepily trying to build.

"What's wrong with you?" Shinichi grumbled through a yawn. Blinking open bleary blue eyes, he glared reproachfully at the magician, noticing that Kaito was fully dressed. He even had a jacket on. And now that he was slightly more awake, Shinichi found that he himself was now similarly attired.

"Come on." Grabbing his hand, Kaito pulled him up off the bed and towards the window, completely ignoring Shinichi's protests. In moments, he had the window open and was ushering Shinichi out of it. Soon, they were both outside.

"Kai, it's still dark," the detective half whined, half scolded as the magician pulled himself up onto the roof over their heads then reached down to pull Shinichi up too.

"You'll thank me later."

Shinichi didn't even bother to try holding back his snort of disbelief. The only thing he could imagine being thankful for right now would be being allowed to go back to sleep. Instead he was being forced to climb up onto the roof and sit there in the cold.

The dinner with the Mouris, Nakamoris, and Hakuba had run rather late. It had been surprisingly pleasant with the two families—mainly the two daughters—cheerfully getting to know each other. The presence of the Nakamoris had kept the elder Mouris from getting into another spat. Shinichi himself had actually had quite a nice conversation with Hakuba about some of the more recently published mystery novels as the blond had decided to give the whole KID topic a rest for the day. All in all, it had been a much better experience than Shinichi had dared hope for. That didn't stop him from being dead tired when he finally got to go back to his rooms.

And it was particularly unfair of Kaito to be dragging him out so early when the magician himself had already been sleeping when Shinichi got back, he thought grumpily.

"Stop sulking and look up," Kaito chided, scooting closer to Shinichi and wrapping an arm around the smaller boy's waist. "Come on. You're here already. Don't waste the opportunity."

Shinichi heaved a longsuffering sigh but looked up.

His breath caught in his throat.

They could see the moon hanging bright in the starry night sky. Not only that, but from their vantage point, they could also see its reflection shining in the still waters of the lake. It was a rather enchanting sight. It was the only word he could think of to describe it.

And then the sun was rising.

It spread golden wings across the horizon and made the lake glow like it was on fire. The whole thing didn't last long, but it was a moment Shinichi knew he would remember for the rest of his life.

"See? Wasn't that view worth a little lost sleep?"

Shinichi glanced up at the magician's expectant grin then ducked his head, blushing faintly. "Okay, fine. It was amazing. Happy now?"

Kaito just laughed and pulled him closer. The view over the lake was just as beautiful in this soft, early morning tranquility as it had been in the moonlit stillness of the night. He was in no hurry to get back inside and leave this moment behind. And Shinichi wasn't making any move to leave either. Instead they remained sitting there together, looking out over the glistening waters and listening to the world beginning to wake.

Kaito wondered what it would be like to make love to Shinichi up here, surrounded by that breathtaking view with that magical ambience. He was sure it would be an experience of a lifetime. But he was equally sure that if he tried anything, he'd find himself kicked off the roof. Maybe another time when he was able to prepare everything to ensure Shinichi's—cooperation.

He smirked.

"So shall we get back inside?" he asked, burying his nose in Shinichi's soft, black hair.

"Let's wait a few more minutes," the detective murmured back.


	6. Contemplations of a Best Friend

Nakamori Aoko drummed her fingers on the table. She was the only person sitting at the table. This even though it was already fifteen minutes after the time that they had agreed they would meet this morning for breakfast. Her father, she knew, had run into a retired police officer he knew when they'd gotten out of their room that morning. Naturally, it was only polite to say hello and catch up a bit on old times. Therefore, it was no surprise that her father had yet to make it to the table. Aoko had gone ahead because she was expecting her boyfriend and a certain childhood friend to be meeting her there. Neither of them had been there.

Now, Kaito being late she could understand. True, he was usually pretty punctual, but he also wasn't above skipping out on an appointment when he found something else he was interested in.

Saguru, on the other hand, took a lot of pride in being on time. So where was he? If he was late because he'd run into a case, he would have called or texted her. Was he in trouble? Ah! She hated waiting.

"Aoko! I'm so sorry I'm late."

"What took you so long?" the inspector's daughter demanded, looking around to see Hakuba Saguru hurrying to the table. She frowned when he pulled out a chair and slumped into it. All her irritation instantly turned to concern. "Are you okay? You don't look very well."

"I am only a little groggy," he assured her, pinching the bridge of his nose. To be honest, his head felt heavy and muzzy. It felt almost like… He frowned. "I am afraid that I may have been drugged."

Aoko gaped. "What? Why?"

"Perhaps to make certain that I would sleep soundly."

"Are you suggesting that Kaito drugged you?" Aoko frowned. "He doesn't have any reason to do that."

"Unless, of course, he has not actually been returning to the room at night."

Aoko sighed. "I know that Kaito likes to play pranks and bend the rules—"

Hakuba snorted at the drastic understatement.

"—but don't you think you might be being just a little too suspicious towards him? I know you still think he's KID, but it's been years, and there's never been any real proof. Have you ever thought that you might be preventing yourself from finding the real culprit because you can't admit you might be wrong about Kaito?"

Hakuba paused in surprise. "I… It isn't that I do not consider other suspects…" He hesitated again. That wasn't entirely true. It had been years since he'd seriously considered other suspects for KID. After all, he was sure that it was Kuroba. When you were sure, there was no reason to consider other possibilities. But that wasn't right at all, was it? It was sloppy to ignore other options. It was just that he was still sure… "What I meant was, I do consider other options, but, though I am sorry to have to tell you this, the probability that Kuroba is KID is too high to be dismissed. Ture, the evidence so far is all circumstantial, but even circumstantial evidence is evidence of a sort."

"What about the fact that we've both been standing right beside Kaito during KID heists before?" Aoko countered, surprising the blond again. Over the years, Aoko had developed a tendency to brush off this topic. She rarely ever pursued the issue past her initial defense of Kuroba's (questionable) character. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

"KID has at least one accomplice, maybe more," he replied because it was true. "With his skills, it would be easy for him to arrange for a stand in."

"But even if that's true, what reason could Kaito possibly have for going out and stealing things?"

"He does appear to derive an unholy pleasure from causing mass mayhem and tormenting others with abject humiliation."

Aoko supposed she couldn't in good conscience disagree with that, but she did feel that the blond detective's wording may be a tad little bit too strong. "He doesn't have to steal things to do that though. It's not like he holds back on pranking people in his everyday life."

Hakuba grimaced. That was true too, though boy did he wish it wasn't. The lives of all Ekoda residents would be a lot less stressful if it were. On the other hand… "If, as I suspect, his father was the first Kaitou KID, perhaps he is simply following in the man's footsteps."

"That's not much of a reason. Besides, Toichi-san was a hugely famous magician. Why would he have wanted to waste time being a thief? I knew him. He was very nice and a good friend of Dad's."

"Well, it could still be someone he admired."

"How can you be so sure that there was a first Kaitou KID?"

"If it were the same man, he would have to be in his late forties to fifties by now at the least. There is simply no way that a man of that age, no matter how fit, would be able to perform the athletic feats KID pulls."

Aoko sighed, looking down as she fiddled with her water glass. "Why does it…matter so much?"

He frowned slightly. "I am not sure what you mean. Why does what matter?"

"Making Kaito out to be KID."

"It isn't about making anyone out to be anything. It's about uncovering a criminal." It wasn't like he was trying to frame anyone. The Kaitou KID was a criminal. Criminals had to be arrested. The law didn't—and shouldn't—make exceptions.

Aoko swallowed another sigh. She could see that he really believed what he was saying, and, technically, that dogged dedication was one of the things she liked about him. But she couldn't help but feel sometimes that he could learn to be a little more flexible. She really was worried that he was going to hold himself back by being too insistent on proving particular conclusions. The problem was that that was something he was going to have to get over on his own. It had just been bothering her lately because he'd started accusing Kaito of kidnapping people. Stealing was one thing. It was bad, but kidnapping was another thing entirely. Kidnapping was only a step away from murder. And no matter how much of a troublemaker Kaito was, Aoko would never believe that he would go that far. He was a prankster, but he wouldn't go out of his way to hurt people.

Was there any way she could help clear Kaito's name once and for all?

"A hem."

Both Hakuba and Aoko jumped in their seats. They turned to find a waiter standing by their table. The man's eye was twitching.

"May I please take your oders?" he asked in the manner of someone who had already said the same thing many times.

When Kaito arrived a few minutes later, it was to find both the detective and the inspector's daughter looking pale and rather shaken.

"What happened to you two?" he asked, dropping into an empty seat. "You look like you've both seen ghosts."

Aoko glanced around as though expecting something terrible to be lurking behind her then shoved her menu at him. "You better pick what you want quickly. Trust me, you don't want to keep that waiter waiting."

"Ooookay. I'll remember that."

It wasn't until all their food had arrived that the atmosphere at their table relaxed.

"What were you up to last night?" Hakuba asked, turning to Kaito with narrowed eyes.

The magician rolled his eyes. "I was sleeping, duh."

"You were not in the room when I got there."

"That would be because I got back after you started snoring."

"Why were you out so late?"

"Jeez, Mom, just because I didn't have dinner with you lot doesn't mean I didn't need to eat."

"But—"

Aoko cleared her throat loudly. "There's going to be a paddleboat race later. Why don't we all go together?"

"A boat race?" Kaito repeated, interest piqued. "That sounds like it could be fun. Are there any prizes if you win?"

"Yeah. The first three teams to finish the race will get a free, full course meal. They'll get to choose from any of the resort's three specialties: salmon, black cod, or sea bass."

Kaito's interest died a horrible death. "That's not a prize, that's a punishment."

Aoko huffed. "That's a mean thing to say, you know. Full course meals are expensive!"

"So, if I win, do you think they'd let me have my prize in cash instead?"

"I seriously doubt it."

"Oh well. Have fun at the race then. I'll pass."

"But Ran said her famly's going to be there too. I think you should meet her. I'm sure you'll like her."

"I don't have to join the boating to meet her," Kaito pointed out. "I'll head over to the lake with you when we're done here and say hi."

Aoko brightened. "Great."

This was perfect, she thought. If this worked out the way she hoped, it could clear Kaito's name for good. She just had to keep her fingers crossed.

-0-

Nakamori Ginzo joined up with them shortly before they finished their breakfast. He ordered a sandwich to go, and the four of them headed to the shores of the lake where the resort's boats were docked. There was already a small crowd milling about the area, chatting and laughing as they waited for the race. A table had been set up off to the side where teams could register. Kaito and Nakamori-keibu found a spot on one of the benches situated along the shore as Aoko and Hakuba went to register for the race.

When they got back, they had Aoko's lookalike with them. The girl looked a bit frazzled, but she managed to put on a smile when she greeted Nakamori-keibu and Kaito.

"So you're the magician that Aoko keeps telling me about," she'd said as she looked him up and down, smiling. "My name is Mouri Ran. I've been to two of your shows with a friend of mine. They're really amazing! It's very nice to meet you."

Kaito waved away her enthusiasm with a smug grin. "Thanks." He flicked his wrist. A yellow rose popped into existence, and he handed it to her. "It's encouraging to hear that someone appreciates my work."

"Don't let that modest act fool you," Aoko said from beside Ran. "He's about as far from modest as it's possible to get. He just likes to pretend that he's a gentleman."

Kaito put on a mock wounded expression. "My dear Aoko, what have I ever done to you to make you think so poorly of me?"

"I'm just telling her the truth." The inspector's daughter turned to Ran again, face earnest. "He kind of lies a lot, and his sense of humor is kind of warped—

"What?" Kaito spluttered in indignation. "My sense of humor is not warped! Just because I have a sense of humor and the rest of you don't doesn't mean mine is warped."

"—but he's a good person and a reliable friend."

By now, Ran was laughing. Aoko looked at Kaito. The magician shrugged.

"I can see you two know each other very well," Ran said finally when her laughter had died down.

"By the way, where's Kudo-san?" Hakuba asked.

Ran grimaced. "Well, he was going to come, but one of the resort guests was just sent to the hospital because she's suffering from a severe allergic reaction. Shinichi said it was a deliberate attack. He called the local police and is working with them now."

"I see. Perhaps I should go lend them my assistance."

Aoko grabbed his arm before he could take two steps. "You can't. The boat race is going to start soon. I'm sure Kudo-kun can handle it."

"She's right," Ran agreed. "He told me he already had it mostly figured out. He was just going to look for the evidence. There's no reason for more people to miss out on the race."

"Are you participating?" asked Aoko.

"I can't. Shinichi's not here, and my parents kind of stormed off this morning. So I don't have anyone to partner with. It's too bad because I was hoping… Ah, never mind."

Aoko beamed. "Then you and Kaito can team up."

"Oh, I guess if he's okay with it…"

"Of course he's okay with it, right Kaito? You wouldn't abandon a girl in distress, would you?"

Kaito sighed. "If you put it that way, how could I refuse?"

"Perfect. You better go sign up quick. Registration closes in ten minutes."

And that was how Kuroba Kaito and Mouri Ran ended up winning the boat race. Hey, one was a karate champion and the other was the Kaitou KID. Between the two of them, they had enough athletic prowess for multiple normal people. Was it any surprise that they won?

When they received their prizes—a ticket each for a free, full course meal at the resort's best restaurant—Kaito turned and handed his to Ran.

"Here, you can have this. You were hoping to give them to your parents, right?"

Ran blushed. "I was, but… I mean, are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure."

Ran accepted the envelope, returning his grin with a smile of her own. "Thank you."

Standing just barely within earshot, Aoko let out a stifled squeal. Her plan was developing beautifuly!

Hakuba gave his girlfriend a strange look. What in the world…?


	7. Hooks and Fishes

Shinichi accepted a cup of coffee from one of the resort staff members with a grateful smile before settling back to watching the police cleaning up the scene. The case hadn't been a very difficult one, but the victim had been an important figure in some big shot company or other as well as a member of a wealthy family not unlike the Suzukis (though not quite of their league). Because of that, the scene was swarming with reporters already. Their presence was making it difficult for the police to get everything properly photographed and documented. The culprit was already in cuffs, but the officers in charge of getting him out of there were having a hard time shoving their way through the crowd of rubberneckers and reports, the latter of whom were trying to interview said culprit despite the officers' attempts to stop them. The culprit himself was still hollering loudly about how he hadn't actually done anything wrong and that the victim had had it coming.  
All in all, it was a mess.  
Shinichi sighed and took a large gulp of his coffee. And here he'd been hoping that this vacation would be crime free for once. Why did so many people find it so hard to just get along?  
"Kudo-san, can I ask you a few questions?"  
Shinichi almost groaned out loud, but he managed to stop himself. He'd already turned down three other reporters eager for an interview. It had not been easy to get them to leave him alone, and he was not looking forward to yet another repeat of the experience.  
"I'm Tomoyama Anzu from Daikura Magazine," the newest journalist said, naming a magazine that Shinichi had never heard of before.  
"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "But I need to get going just as soon as the police finish here."  
"Then you have a few minutes," the woman concluded. "Don't worry, I'll keep it short."  
"No, really. I—"  
"So is it true that you and Kaitou KID are involved?"  
Shinichi choked. "What?" So the woman wasn't here to talk about the case? And here he'd thought the fuss over that photo was finally beginning to die down.  
The reporter sidled closer, expression sly. "You know, the rumor is that you've already spent the night with KID at least once."  
Shinichi choked again. "What? Who said that?!"  
"Everyone knows that you disappeared at his heist that time and didn't return until the following day."  
Shinichi flushed, partly in horrified embarrassment and partly in memory of that particular night. "Being gone for a night doesn't mean anything."  
"Oh?" The woman leaned forward. "So then where were you?"  
Shinichi took a moment to recollect his wits then leveled the woman with an icy stare. "As I have already told the police—and many of your colleagues, KID knocked me out and stole the jewel."  
"But, as I recall, you spent the night at a hotel."  
"That's where I woke up," Shinichi replied stiffly.  
"Come now. You can't honestly expect us to believe that nothing happened."  
The snide tone in the woman's voice was starting to get on Shinichi's nerves. "I suppose you've slept with every random person you've ever spent the night in a room with," he said acidly.  
The woman drew back a little. Color rose in her face. Then her eyes narrowed. "You can't blame the public for being curious. After all, KID did declare in no uncertain terms not so very long ago that he considered you to be his."  
"If everything everyone said was true, the world wouldn't need detectives."  
"So you're saying there's nothing between the two of you?" There was a mocking, amused note to Tomoyama's voice now that made it quite clear what she thought about the sentiment.  
"What makes you so sure that there has to be something?" Shinichi shot back.  
"Well, you do know what they say about opposites attracting."  
Shinichi glared. "Are you implying that I would date someone because they're a criminal? That's the dumbest logic I have ever heard."  
"KID has also kissed you—twice—in front of crowds of witnesses. What do you say to that?"  
Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Well, let me see. He grabbed me the first time, and I was unconscious the second time. Is that supposed to prove something?" He never thought he'd be so glad that Kaito had knocked him out. It meant he wasn't lying at all.  
Apparently deciding it was time to change tactics, the woman seized on the new opening. "So then why don't you tell us what kind of person you would have a romantic interest in? I'm sure our readers would love to know."  
"I'm sorry," he said, not feeling sorry at all. "But I'm not interested in sharing my personal life with the public."  
"Oh? And why's that?"  
"Uh, obviously because it's private. And frankly it's none of your business."  
"Oh come now. Just a word or two to describe your ideal partner."  
The woman was persistent. He'd give her that much. He was seriously considering just getting up and walking away and apologizing to the police for the abrupt departure later. But he was saved the trouble when the officer in charge called out to him. Grateful for the rescue, he bid the disappointed reporter a curt farewell and headed over to the police.  
The reporter watched him go with narrowed eyes. "Don't think I'm going to give up that easily."  
-0-  
"Shinichi?" Ran exclaimed in surprise. When she'd come to the gift shop, she had not anticipated running into her friend. Her surprise became confusion when her friend jumped and spun around like a cornered animal. "Uh, what's wrong?"  
He blinked at her then relaxed and straightened from where he had been pretending to examine a shelf full of baseball hats. "Oh, uh, it's nothing. I've just been having this feeling that… Never mind."  
"Feeling that what?" she persisted. Knowing Shinichi, any bad feelings he had were likely to come true. She wasn't about to just let him fudge over it. Not anymore. Besides, she intended to have a good vacation here. Anyone or anything that tried to get in the way of that was going to find themselves on the other end of every last one of her karate skills!  
"It's nothing really," Shinichi insisted then sighed when he saw Ran cracking her knuckles. She'd become rather…touchy about being left in the dark on anything after the whole Conan incident. She still had a tendency to slip into 'big sister' mode more often than not. Shinichi found he didn't really mind—he'd gotten used to it too. But he was getting sidetracked here.  
"I just feel a bit like someone's been watching me," he admitted. "But I don't feel like they mean any harm," he added quickly when he saw Ran's alarmed expression.  
Ran frowned. "How can you be sure? Maybe you should tell the police. They are still here, right?"  
"No—I mean, yes, the police are still here, but there's no need to get them involved." It wasn't a malicious gaze. He was fairly certain of that. Though it wasn't exactly a friendly one either. He'd wondered for a moment if it was Kaito stalking him again, but the thief wouldn't be so obvious. Who did that leave? A fan maybe? Or possibly… The reporter's face flashed through his mind. With her persistence when she'd been questioning him, he wouldn't put it past her to be following him now. Damn. That might be a problem. He would have to let Kaito know as soon as possible. He made a mental note to send the magician a text when Ran wasn't looking.  
"Shinichi! Are you even listening to me?"  
"Huh?"  
Ran sighed. "Honestly, you've been spacing out a lot lately. Are you sure there's nothing you need to tell me?"  
He had to work hard to keep the guilty expression off his face. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"  
"I was just saying that it was too bad you missed the boat race. It was fun."  
"Did your dad go with you then?"  
"No, I teamed up with Aoko's friend. You know, the one she mentioned when we had dinner the other day."  
"You mean the magician?"  
"Yep. His name is Kuroba Kaito."  
"So…what was he like?" Shinichi asked. He was curious to see what Ran's impression of Kaito had been.  
"I thought he was nice," she said after a moment's thought. "We won the boat race, but he gave me both the coupons for the free full course meals."  
Shinichi sweat-dropped. Yeah, Kaito definitely hadn't done that out of altruism. Knowing what he did about Kaito, he was a hundred and ten percent certain that the magician had seen the opportunity as the perfect way to ditch a coupon he would never use and make a good impression at the same time.  
"And I'm not sure why Aoko said he was crazy. He seemed pretty normal to me."  
Clearly, Ran had not yet interacted much with Kaito at all. They had probably been too busy with the race.  
"I didn't really get to see him perform any magic tricks though. I would have liked to. Maybe we should go to one of his shows. He told me there was one coming up soon."  
"I guess if you really want to, we can."  
Ran beamed. "It's settled then." She glanced around at the souvenir shop merchandise arrayed around them then back at Shinichi. "Well, if you're planning on hiding out here a bit longer, you can help me pick out gifts for Sonoko, Kazuha, and Heiji."  
-0-  
"Hey, look what I borrowed from the front desk."  
Shinichi stared at the machine hooked up to the TV. "Is that a karaoke machine?"  
"Yep. It's quite popular though, so we only get it for two hours. Which means we have to make good use of it!"  
"Um, I feel like I should have mentioned this before, but just in case I haven't, I can't sing." And really, he'd expected someone with an information network as good as Kaito's to know that already even if it wasn't exactly common knowledge.  
"Karaoke's about having fun," Kaito said with a laugh. "No one cares if you're really good at it. Plenty of people stink, actually. Doesn't mean they don't enjoy it anyway."  
"I'm being serious."  
"So am I. Here, I'll go first." Picking up one of the two microphones that had come with the machine, Kaito scrolled through the list before picking a song. Shinichi wasn't at all surprised to discover that the thief could sing like a pro. After all, someone who could do perfect imitations of any voice he heard should have no problem hitting all the right notes in a song. Kaito could probably have sung in the original artists' voices if he'd wanted to.  
This did not make Shinichi any more eager to sing when Kaito handed him the second microphone. In fact, it very much made him want to keep his mouth shut. But Kaito was still looking at him expectantly, and he knew that he wasn't going to get out of this. Not without a demonstration of his terrible singing anyway. This wasn't the first time someone had pushed him to try karaoke. However, no one had ever asked him to do karaoke a second time.  
So he took a deep breath and sang the next song.  
The look of incredulity that grew on Kaito's face would have been comical if Shinichi wasn't feeling so embarrassed. By the time the song ended, Shinichi's cheeks were flushed with humiliation. The way Kaito was just sitting there dumbfounded wasn't helping. In some ways, the whole thing would have been easier to bear of the magician had laughed. Was it really that weird to hear someone who couldn't sing attempt to do so and fail miserably?  
"It's not my fault I don't have a good voice," Shinichi said a bit sulkily, setting the microphone down on the table so that he could cross his arms. It wasn't like he wanted to suck at singing. He loved music, although his tastes lay more towards the classical. He was pretty good with the violin. He just couldn't make his vocal cords cooperate with him.  
"That's not true. You have a beautiful voice," Kaito objected. His expression morphed into a smirk as he wrapped an arm around Shinichi's shoulders, pulling him closer so he could murmur into the detective's ear. "You always sound wonderful when we're in bed. I especially like the way you scream my name~."  
Shinichi blushed bright red and elbowed him. He scrambled to get out of the now laughing magician's grasp. "Pervert! I can't believe you can say things like that."  
Kaito only laughed and held on tighter. "Really though. If you want, I think I might be able to teach you," he offered.  
Shinichi eyed him warily. "Teach me what?"  
"How to sing, duh. It's not that hard."  
The detective looked uncertain. "I've tried learning before."  
"But you've never tried learning with me as your teacher."  
It was hard to argue with that. Shinichi laughed. "Well, I guess it would be nice to be able to sing, but you have to promise not to laugh if I can't get it."  
"Thief's honor."  
"That makes no sense."  
"You wound me! Are you implying that I'm not trustworthy?"  
Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."  
"I vow to you, I will not laugh at your singing no matter how tempting it is."  
"…Was that supposed to make me feel better?" But despite the sarcasm in his voice, Shinichi retrieved the second microphone again. "Uh, so… How should I start?"  
When their time was up, Kaito went to return the karaoke machine before coming back to resume the lesson. They spent another two hours trying and failing to get Shinichi to sing a complete song in tune.  
That was about how long it took for Kaito to decide that his ears really couldn't bear any more of this abuse today, and his Shin-chan's vocal talents were simply better put to use elsewhere (like in the bedroom). He informed Shinichi of his conclusion. He wasn't sure why the detective reacted by smacking him with a couch cushion. But hey, a pillow fight sounded like an awesome way to end the night.


	8. The Setting Sun

Shifting a little on his perch in the branches of a large tree, Kaito raised his binoculars to his eyes again. The subject of his observations was a certain female journalist. After Shinichi had informed him about the woman's nosy questions, the thief had made it a point to check her out.

A quick internet search had been quite revealing. Tomoyama Anzu and the magazine she worked for were both quite new, but they had already made quite a name for themselves as a tabloid magazine. They printed anything and everything about up and coming celebrities from all over Japan. From what Kaito could discern, they were very skilled at twisting quote and candid photographs to make 'headline' news out of innocuous words and moments. They had quite a following of readers who apparently appreciated their wit regardless of validity.

Kaito doubted anything printed in the magazine would be taken seriously, but it would probably still be annoying. At the least, he knew it would upset Shinichi—and likely make it even harder for them to spend time together than it already was. After all, there were far too many people out there who were frothing at the mouth for more information on the elicit romance between their favorite, young detective and one of the world's most renowned thieves (which, Kaito would admit, was partly his own fault, but he'd had good reasons for letting the news people snap that photograph). On the bright side, Daikura Magazine had a 'proud' (ha!) tradition of using only unaltered photographs and direct quotes.

Still, Kaito could already tell that the woman was going to be a nuisance.

Take now, for example.

The woman was currently crouched in the bushes near the edge of the resort's large lake. She, like him, was holding a pair of binoculars. Hers, however, were aimed towards the lake—or, more specifically, towards the little fleet of boats currently drifting on the waters. Those boats marked the locations of the many contestants in the resort's weekly fishing contest. And one of those boats was currently carrying one Kudo Shinichi. And it was definitely that particular boat that the journalist woman was watching.

Kaito would have liked to sneak a peek at his beloved as well except that he didn't want to risk seeing something he'd regret. It would be too distracting and ruin his mood. Damn those scaly horrors. On the other hand, maybe he should be thanking them for yet again providing him with a convenient excuse not to join in on the festivities without incurring Aoko's mop-swinging wrath. It was one of the reasons their plans were progressing so smoothly.

Well, with the little snag of this nosy reporter anyway.

Kaito shifted the focus of his binoculars from the woman to her partner. The photographer didn't seem half as interested as his counterpart, but from what Kaito had observed, he seemed happy enough to go along with whatever she wanted. Right now, he was seated in the bushes next to her with his camera resting by his side and his attention on a magazine in his lap. From his vantage point, Kaito could just make out the image of a rather scantily clad woman on the page. So that was what was occupying the man's attention.

Kaito made a mental note as he began cataloging the man's features and mannerisms. He could make for a good disguise if the thief ever needed to get closer to Tomoyama in order to thwart her snooping.

He smirked to himself. Maybe he shouldn't find this situation so entertaining, but he couldn't help it. These two were just asking to be messed with. And Kaito did so love messing with people.

-0-

“You know, I'm starting to think that saying about everyone having a double somewhere out there is true," Aoko remarked as she studied Shinichi's face. He was wearing a baseball hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. With most of his hairstyle covered, he really did remind her of Kaito. There were differences, naturally, and their personalities made a huge difference, but still. They really looked like brothers. "Ran-san would be mine, and you'd be Kaito's. And I mean, Kaito and I grew up together. And you two grew up together. Isn't that weird?”

Ran laughed. "What are the chances, right?" She turned to Shinichi. "You really should meet Kaito-kun sometime."

Shinichi made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, pretending to be preoccupied with making sure his fishing line didn't get tangled with Ran's. The four of them were currently on the same boat, which, incidentally, meant they were on the same team in this fishing competition. So far, however, they had caught a total of one fish between the four of them. And that fish had been so small that they had thrown it back.

"By the way, why didn't Kaito-kun come with you today?" Ran asked, turning back to Aoko curiously.

Aoko giggled. "I don't think you'd be able to pay him enough to get him out here. He can't stand fish. He's been like that for as long as I can remember."

“Oh. Is he allergic?”

“I don't think so. They just freak him out for some reason.”

The two girls fell to chatting as their boat continued to drift upon the water. Aoko seemed intent on filling Ran in on all the little details she could think of about Kaito. Shinichi listened with interest as she described the many pranks he used to pull during their high school days. He found he had to resist the urge to smile at some of her stories. Their high school life certainly sounded colorful. And he couldn't help but drink in and memorize every new piece of information about the thief he'd come to love. He'd heard quite a few of the stories from Kaito before, but the magician's perspective on his exploits was understandably very different.

“By the way," Aoko said suddenly, interrupting her own retelling of a spectacularly disastrous (in her opinion) school trip to a historical reenactment (which Kaito had found so boring that he'd decided to improve it himself). "I just wanted to make sure, you and Kudo-kun aren't dating, right?”

"Oh, no, no." Ran cast a sidelong look at Shinichi and giggled. "We thought about it, but… Things happened." Her mirth faded as her mind wandered back through her memories. If she had been asked back on that day at Tropical Land if she believed that people could change so much in just four years, she would have said no. But she really had been naïve back then.

Noticing her new friend's subdued expression, Aoko frowned. "Are you alright? I'm sorry if I said anything I shouldn't…"

“No, it's alright," Ran said. It was true. Time had changed her—them, but that wasn't a bad thing. She'd learned a lot over the years. She'd grown up, and she honestly felt that they'd all become better people because of it. "I was just thinking.”

Aoko nodded then leaned forward again. "So does that mean you're not seeing anyone?"

Ran blinked. "No, I'm not."

“Do you have anyone you like?”

“Not at the moment. I've been focusing on my studies." On occasion, Sonoko would set her up on a date with some guy or other, but though she'd made a few new friends because of it, she had yet to meet that perfect someone. She wasn't in any hurry to find someone though. "Why do you ask?”

“Oh…" Aoko waved a hand about airily. "I was just wondering." The inspector's daughter paused suddenly, a thoughtful look crossing her face. Her gaze flickered to Shinichi then back. Then she leaned closer to Ran to ask in a hushed whisper, "What about Kudo-kun? Is he seeing anyone?”

Ran blinked, swallowing a nervous laugh. "Well, I'm not really sure. He's never been very social," she added with more confidence. "All he ever thinks about are cases and mystery novels. He wouldn't notice a romantic overture if it kissed him."

“Oh, I see." Aoko looked at Shinichi again, considering. Maybe she could lend him a hand too. Find a way to help get a certain criminal off his back. "So do you know what kind of person he'd be interested in?”

Ran opened her mouth then closed it again.

“I'm not really sure," she admitted finally, voice quiet and almost solemn. "I've never actually asked him. But I hope he finds someone he thinks he can trust with his problems. He's always been the kind of person who tries to do everything himself. I can't count the number of times it's gotten him in trouble. I…I'm afraid he's going to end up biting off more than he can chew one of these days… I think he needs someone he can actually think about as an equal—someone he'd be willing to rely on—rather than someone that has to be kept out of everything.”

“Ran-san…”

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say all that," the detective's daughter said, blushing.

Aoko smiled softly. "No, it's okay. You're worried about him. That's only normal when you have friends who're always dealing with criminals. I mean, they're basically going around making enemies with loads of dangerous people."

Ran laughed ruefully. "Yeah. But he's just like that. A detective through and through. I don't think he's ever even thought about being anything else."

Aoko nodded slowly. It made sense, but it also filled her with a strange feeling of melancholy. How lonely it must be, to feel like you had to do everything yourself, even if (or perhaps especially if) it was to keep the people around you safe. But who would a detective who'd already done so much actually feel comfortable sharing his burdens with?

The fishing rod in Aoko's hands gave a jerk. She almost let go in her surprise, but she remembered herself just in time.

“I got something!”

-0-

Kaito shut the suite window behind himself and moved out into the dining area. He was mildly surprised to see Shinichi at the stove. He was even more surprised at the spread of dishes arrayed upon the table.

"Did you make all this?" he asked.

Shinichi glanced over his shoulder at the thief, not at all surprised to see him there. "Not all of it," he admitted. "I'm really not that experienced a cook. I just wanted to make sure we used the rest of the groceries I bought so it wouldn't go to waste."

Kaito nodded, the corners of his lips quirking up. It was obvious to him that a lot of care had been put into the arrangement of the food. He moved without being asked to get utensils and set the table.

Shinichi placed the last dish on the table. "There."

“Wait." Kaito snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light. When Shinichi could see again, there was a small candelabra standing on the middle of the table. Candle flames danced. "Now we can eat.”

Shinichi shook his head, but he was smiling. "You and your dramatics."

It was perhaps the simplest meal that they had had at the resort, but it was by far the most enjoyable for them both.

Afterward, Shinichi made them each a cup of hot chocolate. They sat together on the couch, enjoying their drinks and each other's company. There was a magic show on television. Shinichi found that, though Kaito could appreciate magic performed well by other magicians, he was just as critical as any detective (although the thief objected vehemently to this comparison). Kaito wouldn't reveal the secrets of the tricks (though he would discuss the mechanics after Shinichi figured them out for himself), but he was quick to point out any flaws and formulate ways to improve upon the acts. They were both a little sorry when the show finally came to an end.

"Ran said she'd like to go to one of your shows," Shinichi said, leaning his head against Kaito's shoulder, gaze still trained on the now dark television screen but seeing something else entirely.

"That could be useful," the magician mused.

“She said I should go too.”

Kaito smiled. "You're welcome to any time. I'd invite you myself, but that'll have to wait." He paused. "So, if she does decide to go, will you?"

“I'd like to.”

Kaito's smile softened. The arm he had looped around Shinichi's waist tightened its hold. "Let me know when. I'll make sure you guys get good seats."

Shinichi snuggled closer to the magician.

"We're going to have to leave tomorrow," he sighed.

Kaito hummed in agreement. Time really was too short, wasn't it?

Shinichi let out another sigh before reluctantly extracting himself from Kaito's embrace.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said, standing.

Kaito rose too. "Mind if I join you?"

Shinichi turned away to hide his blush. "S—sure."

Shinichi wasn't particularly surprised when he found himself pinned against the shower wall (rather enjoyed the feeling of being pressed flush against the warm, wet tiles by a certain magician's hot, wet body). It meant showering took much, much longer than it should have as he spent most of the time in the bathroom writhing against the tiles with his legs wrapped around Kaito's waist. But at least cleaning up the evidence was easy.

When they finally got out of the shower, they looked at the clock and knew that they should really be getting to sleep. Instead, they made more hot chocolate and cuddled together on the couch, murmuring to each other about anything and everything that came to mind. They lingered like that long into the night, both reluctant to bring this time to an end.

Tomorrow they would have to go back. Back to their separate worlds and clandestine meetings. So let tonight last for as long as it could.

-0-

Phase one of the plan was now complete.

The corners of Kaito's lips quirked into a smirk. Plans aside, it had definitely been one of the best vacations ever. Sure, he had been surrounded by those disgusting, scaly things, but he'd had his beautiful detective to help distract him. And that open, happy smile that the blue-eyed detective had been wearing for most of the trip had been one of the loveliest things he had ever seen. He could withstand any number of finny things for that smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may add a few chapters to this section.


	9. Phase Two

Hakuba didn't get it. Shinichi had also been at the resort. Kuroba knew this. Hakuba had made sure of it. So then why hadn't Kuroba approached him? Or had he done so in secret?

Of course, Kuroba could just be being cautious. The thief was a meticulously careful person. But the blond would have expected the thief to jump at the chance to have his civilian identity introduced to the object of his affections.

In any case, life resumed after their little vacation as though nothing at all had changed.

Although maybe that shouldn't be surprising. The thief was a cautious man despite his sometimes impulsive behavior. If he weren't, he would have been caught long ago. So perhaps he was avoiding an introduction on purpose. But Hakuba doubted that Kuroba would be able to resist the temptation forever. The thief was nothing if not persistent when it came to pursuing something he wanted.

He would make a move sooner or later. And, when he did, Hakuba would be ready to grab the evidence he needed to prove Kuroba Kaito was the Kaitou KID.

-0-

Ran looked around the shopping center. It was full of people. That was to be expected because it was the weekend. Everyone was out trying to relax and have fun after a week's hard work.

Well, almost everyone. A certain detective friend of hers was no doubt holed up somewhere with a mountain of case files and several cups of coffee. Seriously, she really worried about Shinichi sometimes. He spent almost no time at all with other people their own age, and he was always putting himself in danger, running after killers with the police. She knew it was what he wanted to do, and he was good at it, no doubt about that. Society would be losing a lot if he ever stopped being a detective. But that didn't mean Ran approved of his lifestyle. It wasn't healthy, and, as a friend, she had every right to worry.

She'd tried to get him to come out with her today too, but he'd refused. There had been an armed robbery last night, and Shinichi was in a hurry to get to the scene and investigate it for clues before too much time passed. He didn't want to risk the chance of time-sensitive clues disappearing before anyone noticed that they were there.

Ran sighed in exasperation at the thought. With the way Shinichi insisted on looking into every case that came his way, you'd think they didn't have any police. It wasn't like the police were inadequate either. Officers like Satou and Takagi had proven themselves to be excellent detectives. Takagi in particular had grown a lot over the past few years. So why couldn't Shinichi just let them do their jobs once in a while? Ran didn't understand it at all.

Shaking her head, Ran went back to searching the crowd. She was now at the food court. Aoko had said they'd meet here, but she hadn't said where exactly, and the food court in this shopping center was quite large.

"Hey there, Mouri-san."

Ran jumped in surprise at the voice suddenly speaking up from right behind her. She spun around to see a grinning young man with a mop of dark, brown hair and sharp, indigo eyes.

"Kuroba-san!" she exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," he replied. "And please, just call me Kaito."

"Only if you call me Ran," she replied with her own smile. Then she looked around behind him. Not seeing anyone, she frowned. "Where's Aoko? Didn't she come with you?"

"Nope. She said she and the stick in the mud would meet us here." It was the magician's turn to turn and scan the surrounding faces. "Jeez, and here she kept nagging me about making sure I'm not late. But here she's nowhere to be seen."

"Maybe we should call them?" Ran suggested. "They could be stuck in traffic or lost."

"Let's find out." Kaito flicked his wrist, making a cell phone appear apparently out of nowhere. He dialed Aoko's number from memory. It rang three times before she picked up. "Hey Ahoko," he said immediately. "You're late."

"What are you talking about?" she huffed. "I told you already, Saguru and I scored a pair of tickets to that new movie. You know, the one I wanted to see that you said sounded stupid. So we're not going today."

"What? You never told me that."

"I sent you a text fifteen minutes ago."

"Fifteen minutes?" Pulling his phone from his ear, Kaito quickly checked his text messages. There was indeed a text from Aoko explaining that she and Hakuba had had a change of plans. "That's awful short notice, Ahoko. If you'd said something earlier, we could have rescheduled. I mean seriously, this whole outing was your idea."

"I know, I'm sorry." The girl's tone suddenly became chipper. "Apologize to Ran for me, will you?"

"Fine, whatever." After hanging up, the magician turned to Ran. "Aoko says sorry, she and the idiot got special tickets to some movie or other. So they're ditching us."

"Oh." Ran sighed. "That's all right. But I thought we had a reservation. Did she cancel it?"

"She didn't say." Kaito glanced at his watch. "Well. The reservation is for twelve. That's in ten minutes. Why don't we head over there now and ask if it was canceled or not?"

"Sure."

The two university students made their way across the crowded food court and around the corner to the Italian restaurant that Aoko had made a reservation at. It was, the inspector's daughter had said, a really awesome restaurant with surprisingly reasonable prices and great desserts. Kaito hadn't been to the place before, so he didn't know if that was true, but anywhere purported to have delicious desserts was worth trying at least once in his opinion.

Arriving at the restaurant, they approached the young woman at the counter. She smiled at them.

"Excuse me. We were supposed to meet some friends here," Kaito explained. "But they bailed on us. We were wondering if you could check whether our reservation was canceled. It should have been for four. Name should have been Nakamori Aoko."

"Do you know what time it was supposed to be?"

"Twelve."

"Please wait a moment." The girl turned to the little computer on the counter. "There is a Nakamori Aoko at twelve, but this says the reservation is for two. It's possible your friends changed it already. The table is ready now. Do you two want to go ahead and come in?"

Kaito and Ran traded glances then nodded to the woman. She picked up two menus from the stack on the corner of the desk and led them inside.

"I think it's safe to say that Aoko intended to leave the two of us here all along," Kaito said, looking across the table at Ran. "She's trying to set us up."

The girl looked somewhat embarrassed. "It seems that way."

Kaito met her gaze, expression serious. "I just thought I should let you know that I'm not looking for a romantic partner right now."

Ran blinked then laughed, face turning faintly pink. "That's okay. I wasn't really thinking about that either." Although she supposed the notion might have flashed across her mind for a moment there. Kaito was just an easy person to like. But she'd only known him for a little while, so she hadn't thought too much about it. She wasn't the kind of person who'd consider pursuing a romantic relationship with someone she'd just met. Smiling, she held out her hand. "Friends?"

He laughed and shook her hand. "Of course."

-0-

"I heard you had lunch with Ran today."

There was a chuckle from the other end of the line. "Indeed I did. It was supposed to be with Aoko and the idiot too, but they bailed on us. It was probably a setup. Actually, scratch that. It was definitely a setup. I do believe Ran-san found the situation a little awkward when she realized what Aoko was up to, but I cleared things up for her."

Shinichi arched an eyebrow even though he knew Kaito couldn't see it. He leaned back in his desk chair, the homework he'd been working on temporarily forgotten. "So how'd it go?"

"Well, the food was good, although I wouldn't say it was quite as awesome as Aoko said it would be. Ran-san and I had quite a good talk too."

"What did you talk about?" Shinichi asked, honestly curious.

"Oh, this and that. She was curious about what it was like being a professional magician while still being a student at the same time. Told me all about a few magicians she's had the pleasure to be acquainted with. Seems she's met several famous names already. I do believe she was very impressed by my skills and dedication, not to mention my astounding record and sense of humor."

Shinichi snorted, though he was smiling. "Ran's always been easy to impress."

"Aww, come on. Admit it. You think I'm amazing too~."

"…What amazes me is your ability to shamelessly praise yourself."

Kaito laughed heartily. "I do believe it's one of my virtues."

"What, narcissism?"

"It's called confidence, my dear. Confidence."

"I don't think bragging is generally considered to be part of that."

"It just goes to show what an honest person I am."

"…I have nothing to say to that."

He could practically hear Kaito's smirk.

"Anyway, we also talked about you."

"Me?" Shinichi shifted his phone to his other hand so he could pick up his coffee mug. "Do I want to know what you talked about?"

"Oh, she told me all sorts of interesting things~."

Shinichi twitched. A thread of trepidation wormed its way into his head. He coughed lightly. "Like what?"

"I can't tell you."

Shinichi allowed himself a pout because no one was around to see it. "Why not?"

"I promised Ran-san not to say anything to anyone. It would be most ungentlemanly of me to break a promise like that."

Shinichi rolled his eyes, comforting himself with the knowledge that Ran wouldn't go spreading anything too embarrassing around about him to someone she'd only just met. Probably.. Although he knew from experience that Kaito was superhumanly good at charming information out of people. The detective gulped, suddenly feeling extremely uneasy. Suddenly, a whole host of embarrassing, childhood moments flooded through his mind (most of which, for some reason, involved his mother). And Ran knew most of them.

While he was sure by now that he did indeed love Kaito, there were some things he really, really didn't want the magician to know. Ever.

He made a mental note to hide some of the photo albums from his earlier years. Unfortunately, his mother would kill him if he burned them.

"Why were you guys talking about me anyway?" he grumbled. "I thought you were planning to avoid showing overt signs of interest in meeting up."

"Now, now. Remember who you're talking to here. I was just letting the conversation take its natural course. Ran-san just got to talking about you because she mentioned that she invited you." Kaito's tone shifted to something more serious. "She worries about you, you know. She thinks you need to make more friends."

Blue eyes softened. "I…" he started then stopped. He wasn't sure what to say. He knew Ran worried, and he felt guilty for making her worry. But there wasn't really anything he could do about it. And he personally felt that her worries were unfounded, but, for Ran, that just proved her point.

"Cheer up, Shin-chan. It's not as bad as I'm sure you're making it out to be in your head. Worrying just what people do when they care."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am."

Shinichi laughed. Then he glanced at the clock and winced. "Sorry Kai, I have to get back to my homework."

"Yeah. I have some preparations to finish as well. By the by, will you be coming to my next show? The invitation should have been in your mailbox."

"I haven't read it yet."

"I spent extra time writing this one. Consider it a gift."

"I look forward to it then."

Kaito hummed in agreement. "I suppose I shall have to wish you a good night then."

"Good night to you too."

There was a pause. Neither of them moved to hang up.

The silence was broken by a chuckle from Kaito's end of the line. "I'll see you soon. Promise."

A faint blush colored Shinichi's face. "I'll restock the hot chocolate."

"That's my Shin-chan~."


	10. Touching Bases

"I think we can risk it."

Shinichi looked up at Kaito's declaration. "Risk what?"

The magician plopped himself down at the kitchen table. It was Saturday morning, but, to his surprise, he hadn't had to wake Shinichi up even though it was only seven. It struck him as a sign.

"A date, of course," he said. "It's been a while. and Phase Three is rolling along nicely. There's no reason we have to stay at home all the time. How about it?"

"Did you have somewhere in mind?"

"Yeah. I'd like to introduce you to my mother."

Blue eyes widened. "I…huh?"

Kaito grinned. "Don't worry, she already knows about you."

Shinichi took a deep breath then nodded, blushing faintly. "I…I think I'd like that."

"Great. She's helping out at the Ekoda Food Festival today. I told her we'd visit her there."

"But isn't that where the Nakamoris and Hakuba live too?"

Kaito smirked. "That's why we're going in disguise."

"Ah." He should have guessed as much, shouldn't he?

Fifteen minutes later, Shinichi found himself being presented with a card wallet. He gaped. There were a dozen different driver's licenses there for a dozen different people, all complete with photograph.

"You made all these?"

"Nope."

"You mean you stole them?!"

"What? No, that would be inconvenient. These are all properly issued. It was a pain taking the test so many times, but hey, good work takes patience."

"That's…" Insane, Shinichi thought. But at the same time, he couldn't exactly say it didn't have its own weird logic to it.

"I figured we could go as twins," the magician said cheerfully. "But first we have to choose our transportation. So what do you think? Any vehicle strike your fancy? I'm quite partial to the idea of going on motorcycle, but I can arrange for a car instead of you'd prefer."

"I…the motorcycle is fine…"

And so, forty minutes later, two young men with ginger hair left the Kudo Manor through the back door. The smaller one wore spectacles while his taller twin had a tan. How Kaito had managed to give himself a tan was anyone's guess, but Shinichi had given up on asking.

-0-

The Ekoda Food Festival was being held in Ekoda Park. It was not a very large affair, having been organized by the locals as a fundraiser for Ekoda's elementary and high schools. However, the lure of good food always drew in the masses, and the park was a bustling hive of hungry people.

A collection of stalls and tables had been set up in the plaza at the foot of the clock tower. A barbeque sizzled at the far edge. The air was filled with a tantalizing mixture of aromas that made Shinichi's stomach growl embarrassingly, reminding him that he had only had coffee that morning. Every stall had a line in front of it, and children darted through the crowds, laughing.

The first thing Kaito did upon their arrival was to drag Shinichi to the barbeque. A burger (two in Kaito's case) and a lemonade later, the thief made a beeline for the baked potatoes. Already full, Shinichi watched in mildly horrified amazement as Kaito went on to consume a hotdog, a bag of popcorn, a milkshake, a veggie wrap, and three large, soft cookies.

"You're going to make yourself sick," he warned, grimacing. His stomach hurt just watching. Clearly, his thief had a bottomless pit for a stomach.

Kaito waved away his concern. "This is nothing."

"We're here to meet someone, remember?"

"She's at the brownie stand. I guess we might as well go say hello before we get the ice cream."

The brownie stall was just as busy as all the others. From a distance, Shinichi could see the dark-haired woman deftly slicing large slabs of brownie into serving sized portions and dishing them out onto small, paper plates. Those plates, in turn, vanished off the table almost as quickly as they were set out. A little girl stood at the end of the table, manning the cash register.

Feeling abruptly nervous, Shinichi was grateful for the length of the line. Even so, it moved far too quickly.

What would Kaito's mother think of him? Sure, the thief said she already knew, but what did she know? Did she know that he was a detective? If so, surely she wouldn't approve. She would naturally be worried about her son getting arrested. And wasn't she a thief herself? Or at least she had been. Kaito had told him so even before they had gotten involved. So it wouldn't be illogical for her to be concerned about her own past coming to light too.

How could he convince her that he wouldn't turn them in? But surely Kaito would have been sure to explain that to his mother himself. If she was okay with her son running around all over the country at odd hours, taunting the police and stealing jewels, then surely she had a great deal of trust in Kaito's judgment.

But even if she was reconciled to the fact that her son was dating a detective, she might prefer that Kaito be with someone who could give her grandchildren.

With all the thoughts running through his head, Shinichi almost didn't notice when he and Kaito reached the table. It was only as the woman there smiled and asked them how many brownies they wanted that he suddenly remembered that he and Kaito were both in disguise. How were they supposed to be introduced now?

"We'll have one each," Kaito said like he really was just a customer. "By the way, it's nice to see you again, Kuroba-san. How's that bird you bought doing?"

The woman paused for a fraction of a second before she cut into a fresh brownie. "Very well, thank you. So is this the brother you told me about?" Her gaze shifted to Shinichi, sharp and intent.

The detective shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"Yep," Kaito said. "It wasn't easy dragging him away from his books, but I told he wouldn't want to miss out on all the great food today. Hey Shin, this is Kuroba Chikage-san. I met her when I want to the pet store last week."

"It's nice to meet you," Shinichi said a bit shyly, thrown off by the round about introductions. "I…hope you're having a good day."

"It's been busy, but that's a good thing," the woman replied with a smile. "By the way, your brother told me you like coffee. Is that right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, I know you're new here, so I doubt you know, but there's a café with excellent coffee not far from here. If you'd like, I can show you where it is after the festival."

"O—oh," Shinichi stammered, casting a look sideways at Kaito. When the magician nodded, he continued. "That would be very nice. Thank you."

The rest of the festival passed by in a tense blur of sweet smells and sweeter ice creams for Shinichi as Kaito tried every stall available and forced Shinichi to at least eat the famous Ekoda Creamery ice cream.

He wasn't even sure how they ended up at the café picked out by Kuroba Chikage. He just seemed to be at the park one moment and seated at the café the next.

And there she was too, seated across the table with a placid smile on her face and eyes just as sharp as those of a police officer.

"So, I hear your parents have been out of town for a while. How are they?" she asked.

Shinichi stared, completely thrown off. "Huh?"

"I talked to your mother a month ago, and she said something about coming to visit, but she never got back to me about when. I don't suppose you've heard anything?"

"Uh, I…haven't. No. But I can ask…?" Was she being serious?

"That would be wonderful. It has been far too long."

"Excuse me, but how do you know…?"

"My husband worked with your mother before," Chikage replied, her smile turning a little sad. "He was her teacher. I suppose we all sort of fell out of touch after he passed away."

Shinichi nodded mutely, mind whirling. He'd had no idea his parents knew the former Kaitou KID in his civilian identity, let alone that the man had taught his mother. Though that would explain where she had learned how to create such thorough disguises. It was a lot to take in.

"I suspect we would have stayed out of touch if your mother hadn't seen a certain photograph," Chikage continued, and Shinichi blushed bright red. The woman either didn't notice or chose not to comment. "She called me about it shortly after it was published."

Shinichi fought the urge to squirm in his seat. He had thus far managed to avoid talking to his parents about the upheavals in his personal life. He wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that they had been discussing it with Kaito's mother of all people behind his back.

"Anyway, it's nice to be talking to her again. Do give me a ring as soon as they come to town. You must all come to dinner.

And with that, the matter seemed to be closed. There was no mention of thieves or any of the other number of things Shinichi had been fretting over. For the rest of their coffee break, they talked about baking.

Despite that, the sun was already low in the sky when they all rose to go their separate ways.

"Now you make sure he gets home safely," Chikage told her son.

The magician rolled his eyes and declared that that went without saying.

"Your mom is…" Shinichi started then stopped as Kaito led the way back to where he'd parked his motorcycle. "I didn't know she knew my parents."

"Neither did I until recently," Kaito admitted. "But they'll have to meet each other eventually, so I say we should count ourselves lucky they're already on friendly terms."

Shinichi nodded, head still reeling.

"So shall I take you home then?" Kaito asked. There was a slightly suggestive purr in the undertone of his words that the detective didn't notice.

Shinichi hesitated then cleared his throat. "Actually, there's one more place I want to go before we go home."

Kaito was only mildly surprised to find himself standing with Shinichi in the middle of Professor Agasa's living room, being introduced to the owner of the house and a little girl with ginger hair and the sternest expression he had ever seen on either adult or child.


End file.
